IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


1.1 


L£|2j8    |2^ 

>tt  lit   12.1 
us 


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1 2.0 

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Sciences 
CorporatiGn 


23  WKT  MAIN  STRin 

WnSTM,N.Y.  USM 

(71«)S72-4S03 


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i) 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductlons  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notas  tachniquas  at  bibliographiquas 


Th<t  .'nstituta  has  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
ordinal  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
co;;>y  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  altar  any  of  the  Images  In  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


n 


D 


D 


D 
D 


D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommag^a 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restauria  et/ou  pellicuWe 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  giographiquas  en  couleur 

Coloured  inic  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I      I   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
ReliA  avac  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  sarr^e  paut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  IntArieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
11  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouttes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte. 
mais.  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6x6  fiimias. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commantairas  supplimentaires: 


Th 
to 


L'institut  a  microfilm^  la  meilleur  exemplaira 
qu'il  lui  a  6X6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaira  qui  sont  paut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vua  bibiiographiqua.  qui  pauvent  modifier 
une  image  reprodulte.  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mAthode  normale  de  f ilmage 
cant  Indiqute  ci-dessous. 


I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  ast  film6  au  taux  de  rMuction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^as 


n   Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurias  et/ou  pellicul6es 

0   Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  dicolortes.  tachat^es  ou  piqu< 


Th 
po 
of 
fill 


Or 
be 
th( 
sio 
oti 
fin 
sio 
or 


Pages  dicolortes.  tachat^es  ou  piqudes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d^tachias 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Quallt^  inigala  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  matarli 
Comprend  du  material  supplimantaira 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  disponible 


I      I  Pages  detached/ 

rVj  Showthrough/ 

I      I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I     I  Only  edition  available/ 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc..  have  been  ref limed  to 
ensure  the  best  possibl«  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc..  ont  4t6  film6es  6  nouveau  de  fapon  6 
obtenir  la  mailleure  image  possible. 


Th« 
shf 

Tl^ 

wh 

Ma 
diff 
entl 
beg 
rigr 
reqi 
met 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

JL 

12X 

16X 

20X 

24X 

28X 

32X 

Thtt  copy  film«d  h«r«  has  b««n  r«produe«d  thanks 
to  tha  ganaroaity  of: 

Douglas  Library 
Quaan's  Univarsity 


L'axamplaira  film*  f I't  raproduit  grAca  A  la 
gAniroait*  da: 

Douglas  Library 
Quaan's  Univarsity 


Tha  imagaa  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  conaidaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  Icaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacifications. 


Orisinai  copias  in  printad  papar  covara  ara  filmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illuatratad  impraa- 
sion,  or  tha  bacic  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  copiaa  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illuatratad  impraa- 
sion,  and  anding  on  tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illuatratad  imprassion. 


Laa  imagaa  auivantaa  ont  At*  raproduitas  avac  ia 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattat*  da  l'axamplaira  film*,  at  an 
conformit*  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmaga. 

Las  axamplairas  originaux  dont  la  couvartura  en 
papiar  aat  imprim*a  aont  film*a  an  commandant 
par  la  pramiar  plat  at  an  tarminant  soit  par  la 
darni*ra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'impraasion  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  la  sacond 
plat,  aalon  la  cas.  Toua  las  autras  axamplairas 
originaux  sont  film*s  an  commandant  par  la 
prami*ra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'impraasion  ou  d'illustration  at  an  tarminant  par 
la  darni*ra  paga  qui  comporta  una  talla 
amprainta. 


Tha  last  racordad  frama  on  aach  microficha 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  -^  (moaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  symbol  y  (moaning  "END"), 
whichavar  applias. 


Un  daa  aymbolas  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
darni*ra  imaga  da  chaqua  microficha,  salon  la 
cas:  la  symbols  — ►  signifia  "A  SUIVRE",  la 
symbols  ▼  signifia  "FIN". 


Maps,  platas,  charts,  ate,  may  ba  filmad  at 
diffarant  reduction  ratioa.  Thosa  too  larga  to  ba 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  ara  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illuatrata  the 
method: 


Lea  cartas,  pianchea,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  *tre 
ifi!m*s  *  dee  taux  da  r*duction  diff*rant8. 
Lorsque  le  document  eat  trop  grand  pour  *tre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich*,  11  est  film*  *  partir 
da  Tangle  iiup*riaur  gauche,  de  gauche  *  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  baa,  an  prenant  le  nombre 
d'imagea  n*cassaira.  Lea  diagrammas  suivants 
illustrent  la  m*thode. 


1 

2 

3 

32X 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

The  EDITH  and  LORNE  PIERCE 
COLLECTION  o/CANADIANA 


^lueen's  University  at  Kingston 


% 


\  I 


(J 


w 


i 
i 


K 


An  African  Millionaire 


w 


An 


African  Millionaire 


By 

Grant  Allen 

Author  of  "A  Woman  who  Did,"  etc. 


I 


New  York 
Edward  Arnold 

70  Fifth  Avenue 
1897 


>"       r-  -■  •  ■■  i  (f  t;-^\'  rM^i 


John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge,  U.S.A. 


CONTENTS 


1.  The  Episode  of  the  Mexican  Seer  . 

2.  The  Episode  of  the  Diamond  Links 

3.  The  Episode  of  the  Old  Master 

4.  The  Episode  of  the  Tyrolean  Castle         . 

5.  The  Episode  of  the  Drawn  Game    .  • 

6.  The  Episode  of  the  German  Professor 

7.  The  Episode  of  the  Arrest  of  the  Colonel 

8.  The  Episode  of  the  Seldon  Gold-Mine 

9.  The  Episode  of  the  Japanned  Dispatch-Box 
10.  The  Episode  of  the  Game  of  Poker  . 

1.  The  Episode  of  the  Bertillon  Method      . 

2.  The  Episods  of  the  Old  Bailey       . 


I 

26 

56 

80 

107 

137 
161 

191 

217 

243 
267 
291 


iiho'-is,! 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


Yes,  I  go         . 

In  blood-red  letters,  my  brother-in-law  read  the  name 

I  guess  you've  been  victimised . 

Madame  Picardet  withdrew  her  balance 

The  man  with  the  big  eyebrows  sidled  up 

Charles,  I  shall  never  be  happy  again  till  I  get  tht.  i 

The  concierge  stepped  forward  with  a  little  note  for  Amelia 

She  took  out  tlie  links  from  her  husband's  cuffs 

Have  you  bought  them,  Seymour? 

Would  you  allow  me  to  offer  you  one  ? . 

There  sat  our  friend,  Dr.  Polperro 

In  his  judgment,  it  was  not  a  Rembrandt  at  all 

It's  all  right,  my  man,  he  said 

A  cheerful  little  note   . 

Merci,  Monsieur  !         . 

Cesarine  returned  with  a  full,  true,  and  particular  list 

As  to  price,  the  lawyers  were  obdurate 

Commission  ?  he  inquired 

We  were  met  at  the  door  by  the  surly  steward 

Two  letters      .... 

Cesarine  took  it  as  directed      .  . 

She  was  endowed  with  a  sliglit  squint  . 

Ten  is  more  usual 

A  groom  was  dispatched  with  a  telegram 

Ta-ta !  .  .  .  . 

Charles  was  half  beside  himself  , 

I  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  cliff  . 

His  spirits  revived        .  .  . 

This  nonsense  must  be  stopped,  he  said 

The  scientific  men  craned  their  necks  in  their  eagerness 

Three  uncomfortable,  unhappy-faced  men 


PAGE 

6 

14 
i8 

24 
30 
40 

43 
48 
50 
58 
66 
69 

73 
78 
82 
86 
92 

97 
100 
105 
III 

"S 
117 
120 

'25 
128 

132 

'35 
141 

144 

149 


viiJ                       AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 

1 

PACK 

Charles  was  beside  himself  with  anger  . 

•              • 

.       157       > 

'H 

I  am  bamboozled  and  led  a  dance 

•              • 

.        163 

H 

Medhurst         .... 

•              t 

.        165 

V 

C^sarine  took  a  violent  dislike  to  him   . 

• 

.        168 

M 

Medhurst  suddenly  emerged  from  the  bookcase 

•        173 

■ 

The  discovery  was  most  important 

.        178 

I 

Breathless  expectation 

.        180 

H 

He  accuses  me  of  forgery,  fraud,  and  theft 

.     18S 

S 

Peering  at  the  rocks  in  a  suspicious  manner 

•     196 

fl 

j                                 I  hope  Sir  Charles  won't  come  and  catch  us 

.     198 

M 

J                                 Ten  per  cent,  he  murmured,  is  more  usual 

208 

■ 

Oh,  my  stars,  what  a  lovely  one  ! 

212 

H 

He  brandished  it  thrice  in  Charles's  eyes 

.      215 

H 

1                                 Finglemore's  brother    . 

220 

H 

Charles  insisted             .              .             . 

225 

H 

He  seized  the  doctoi's  hair 

.     228 

H 

The  pretty  little  woman  burst  in 

231 

H 

A  fiery  Virginian         .             .             . 

235 

H 

Still  a  rogue    .... 

241 

H 

The  lion  of  the  hour    .             .             . 

247 

H 

I  shall  imitate  Mary     .             .             . 

249 

H 

Moody             .... 

253 

H 

We  burst  down  the  stairs  in  a.body      .  . 

259 

H 

I  rolled  backward        .             .             . 

261 

fl 

Show  me  the  signature 

269 

H 

Dr.  Beddersley            .             .             . 

274 

H 

How  blind  you  men  are  1 
\                               A  convenient  policeman           .             . 

277 

-H 

287 

^H 

Where's  that  hansom  gone  T     . 

289 

■ 

I  want  you  to  help  me  in  a  most  painful  difficulty          . 

295 

H 

A  pretty  little  woman  stood,  pale  and  anxious 

•              •              • 

300 

H 

The  prisoner  .... 

•              •              • 

302 

B 

Unwillingly,  shamefacedly,  Charles  was  compelled  to  confess 

307 

fl 

•         Modelled  by  Dr.  Beddersley     . 

•              •              • 

310 

fl 

The  jury  filed  slowly  back        .             . 

.  '                                                                                                                                           i 

\  \                                                                                                    '    '   ■                                    I-         '    '           '                  ^              ■ 

i ; 

ill 

•              •              • 

314 

^^^K 

THE   EPISODE  OF   THE   MEXICAN   SEER 


lO 

'4 


My  name  is  Seymour  Wilbraham  Wentworth.  I 
am  brother-in-law  and  secretary  to  Sir  Charles 
Vandrift,  the  South  African  millionaire  and  famous 
financier.  Many  years  ago,  when  Charlie  Vandrift 
was  a  small  lawyer  in  Cape  Town,  I  had  the 
(qualified)  good  fortune  to  marry  his  sister.  Much 
later,  when  the  Vandrift  estate  and  farm  near 
Kimberley  developed  by  degrees  into  the  Cloetedorp 
Golcondas,  Limited,  my  brother-in-law  offered  me 
the  not  unremunerative  post  of  secretary  ;  in  which 
capacity  I  have  ever  since  been  his  constant  and 
attached  companion. 

He  is  not  a  man  whom  any  common  sharper  can 
take  in,  is  Charles  Vandrift.  Middie  height,  square 
build,  firm  mouth,  keen  eyes — the  very  picture  of  a 
sharp  and  successful  business  genius.  I  have  only 
known  one  rogue  impose  upon  Sir  Charles,  and  that 
one  rogue,  as  the  Commissary  of  Police  at  Nice 
remarked,  would  doubtless  have  imposed  upon  a 
syndicate  of  Vidocq,  Robert  Houdin,  and  Cagliostro. 

B 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


We  had  run  across  to  the  Riviera  for  a  few  weeks 
in  the  season.  Our  object  being  strictly  rest  and 
recreation  from  the  arduous  duties  of  financial  com- 
bination, we  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  take  our 
wives  out  with  us.  Indeed,  Lady  Vandrift  is  ab- 
solutely wedded  to  the  joys  of  London,  and  does 
not  appreciate  the  rural  delights  of  the  Mediterranean 
littoral.  But  Sir  Charles  and  I,  though  immersed 
in  affairs  when  at  home,  both  thoroughly  enjoy  the 
complete  change  from  the  City  to  the  charming 
vegetation  and  pellucid  air  on  the  terrace  at  Monte 
Carlo.  Wo  are  so  fond  of  scenery.  That  delicious 
view  over  the  rocks  of  Monaco,  with  the  Maritime 
Alps  in  the  rear,  and  the  blue  sea  in  front,  not  to 
mention  the  imposing  Casino  in  the  foreground, 
appeals  to  me  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  prospects 
in  all  Europe.  Sir  Charles  has  a  sentimental  attach- 
ment for  the  place.  He  finds  it  restores  and  freshens 
him,  after  the  turmoil  of  London,  to  win  a  few 
hundreds  at  roulette  in  the  course  of  an  afternoon 
among  the  palms  and  cactuses  and  pure  breezes 
of  Monte  Carlo.  The  country,  say  I,  for  a  jaded 
intellect!  However,  we  never  on  any  recount 
actually  stop  in  the  Principality  itself.  Sir  Charles 
thinks  Monte  Carlo  is  not  a  sound  address  for  a 
financier's  letters.  He  prefers  a  comfortable  hotel 
on  the  Promenade  des  Anglais  at  Nice,  where  he 
recovers  health  and  renovates  his  nervous  system  by 
taking  daily  excursions  along  the  coast  to  the  Casino. 

This  particular  season  we  were  snugly  ensconced 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  MEXICAN  SEER 


at  the  Hotel  des  Anglais.  We  had  capital  quarters 
on  the  first  floor — salon,  study,  and  bedrooms — and 
found  on  the  spot  a  most  agreeable  cosmopolitan 
society.  All  Nice,  just  then,  was  ringing  with  talk 
about  a  curious  impostor,  known  to  hi.s  followers  as 
the  Great  Mexican  Seer,  and  supposed  to  be  gifted 
with  second  sight,  as  well  as  with  endless  other 
supernatural  powers.  Now,  it  is  a  peculiarity  of  my 
able  brother-in-law's  that,  when  he  meets  with  a 
quack,  he  burns  to  expose  him  ;  he  is  so  keen  a 
man  of  business  himself  that  it  gives  him,  so  to 
speak,  a  disinterested  pleasure  to  unmask  and  detect 
imposture  in  others.  Many  ladies  at  the  hotel, 
some  of  whom  had  met  and  conversed  with  the 
Mexican  Seer,  were  constantly  telling  us  strange 
stories  of  his  doings.  He  had  disclosed  to  one  the 
present  whereabouts  of  a  runaway  husband  ;  he  had 
pointed  out  to  another  the  numbers  that  would  win 
at  roulette  next  evening  ;  he  had  shown  a  third  the 
image  on  a  screen  of  the  man  she  had  for  years 
adored  without  his  knowledge.  Of  course.  Sir 
Charles  didn't  believe  a  word  of  it ;  but  his  curiosity 
was  roused  ;  he  wished  to  see  and  judge  for  himself 
of  the  wonderful  thought-reader. 

'  What  would  be  his  terms,  do  you  think,  for  a 
private  stance  ?  *  he  asked  of  Madame  Picardet,  the 
lady  to  whom  the  Seer  had  successfully  predicted 
the  winning  numbers. 

'  He  does  not  work  for  money,'  Madame  Picardet 
answered,  *  but  for  the  good  of  humanity.     I'm  sure 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


he  would  gladly  come  and  exhibit  for  nothing  his 
miraculous  faculties.' 

*  Nonsense  ! '  Sir  Charles  answered.  '  The  man 
must  live.  I'd  pay  him  five  guineas,  though,  to  see 
him  alone.     What  hotel  is  he  stopping  at  ? ' 

*The  Cosmopolitan,  I  think,'  the  lady  answered. 
'  Oh  no  ;  I  remember  now,  the  Westminster.* 

Sir  Charles  turned  to  me  quietly.  '  Look  here, 
Seymour,'  he  whispered.  '  Go  round  to  this  fellow's 
place  immediately  after  dinner,  and  offer  him  five 
pounds  to  give  a  private  stance  at  once  in  my  rooms, 
without  mentioning  who  I  am  to  him ;  keep  the 
name  quite  quiet.  Bring  him  back  with  you,  too, 
and  come  straight  upstairs  with  him,  so  that  there 
may  be  no  collusion.  We'll  see  just  how  much  the 
fellow  can  tell  us.' 

I  went  as  directed.  I  found  the  Seer  a  very 
remarkable  and  interesting  person.  He  stood  about 
Sir  Charles's  own  height,  but  was  _  slimmer  and 
straighter,  with  an  aquiline  nose,  strangely  piercing 
eyes,  very  large  black  pupils,  and  a  finely-chiselled 
close-shaven  face,  like  the  bust  of  Antinous  in  our 
hall  in  Mayfair.  What  gave  him  his  most  character- 
istic touch,  however,  was  his  odd  head  of  hair,  curly 
and  wavy  like  Paderewski's,  standing  out  in  a  halo 
round  his  high  white  forehead  and  his  delicate 
profile.  I  could  see  at  a  glance  why  he  succeeded 
so  well  in  impressing  women ;  he  had  the  look  of 
a  poet,  a  singer,  a  prophet. 

*  I  have  come  round,'  I  said,  *  to  ask  whether  you 


THE  EPISODE  CF  THE  MEXICAN  oEER 


will  consent  to  give  a  stance  at  once  in  a  friend's 
rooms  ;  and  my  principal  wishes  me  to  add  that  he 
is  prepared  to  pay  five  poundr  as  the  price  of  the 
entertainment.' 

Sefior  Antonio  Herrera — that  was  what  he  called 
himself — bowed  to  mc  with  impressive  Spanish 
politeness.  His  dusky  olive  cheeks  were  wrinkled 
with  a  smile  of  gentle  contempt  as  he  answered 
gravely — 

'  I  do  not  sell  my  gifts  ;  I  bestow  them  freely. 
If  your  friend — your  anonymous  friend — desires  to 
behold  the  cosmic  wonders  that  are  wrought  through 
my  hands,  I  am  glad  to  show  them  to  him.  For- 
tunately, as  often  happens  when  it  is  necessary  to 
convince  and  confound  a  sceptic  (for  that  your  friend 
is  a  sceptic  I  feel  instinctively),  I  chance  to  have  no 
engagements  at  all  this  evening.'  He  ran  his  hand 
through  his  fine,  long  hair  reflectively.  'Yes,  I  go,* 
he  continued,  as  if  addressing  some  unknown 
presence  that  hovered  about  the  ceiling ;  *  I  go  ; 
come  with  me ! '  Then  he  put  on  his  broad 
sombrero,  with  its  crimson  ribbon,  wrapped  a  cloak 
round  his  shoulders,  lighted  a  cigarette,  and  strode 
forth  by  my  side  towards  the  H6tel  des  Anglais. 

He  talked  little  by  the  way,  and  that  little  in 
ci'rt  sentences.  He  seemed  buried  in  deep  thought ; 
indeed,  when  we  reached  the  door  and  I  turned  in, 
he  walked  a  step  or  two  farther  on,  as  if  not  noticing 
to  what  place  I  had  brought  him.  Then  he  drew 
himself  up   short,    and    gazed    around    him    for   a 


6 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


moment.  '  Ha,  the  Anglais/  he  said — and  I  may- 
mention  in  passing  that  his  English,  in  spite  of  a 
slight  southern  accent,  was  idiomatic  and   excellent. 


YES,    I   GO. 


*  It  is  here,  then  ;    it  is  here  ! '      He  was  addressing 
once  more  the  unseen  presence. 

I    smiled    to    think    that    these    childish   devices 
were  intended  to  deceive  Sir  Charles  Vandrift.     Not 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  MEXICAN  SEER 


quite  the  sort  of  man  (as  the  City  of  London  knows) 
to  be  taken  in  by  hocus-pocus.  And  all  this,  I  saw, 
was  the  cheapest  and  most  commonplace  conjurer's 
patter. 

We  went  upstairs  to  our  rooms.  Charles  had 
gathered  together  a  few  friends  to  watch  the  per- 
formance. The  Seer  entered,  wrapt  in  thought. 
He  was  in  evening  dress,  but  a  red  sash  round  his 
waist  gave  a  touch  of  picturesqueness  and  a  dash  of 
colour.  He  paused  for  a  moment  in  the  middle  of 
the  salon,  without  letting  his  eyes  rest  on  anybody 
or  anything.  Then  he  walked  straight  up  to  Charles, 
and  held  out  his  dark  hand. 

'Good -evening,'  he  said.  'You  are  the  host. 
My  soul's  sight  tells  me  so.' 

'Good  shot,'  Sir  Charles  answered.  'These 
fellows  have  to  be  quick-witted,  you  know,  Mrs. 
Mackenzie,  or  they'd  never  get  on  at  it' 

The  Seer  gazed  about  him,  and  smiled  blankly 
at  a  person  or  two  whose  faces  he  seemed  to 
recognise  from  a  previous  existence.  Then  Charles 
began  to  ask  him  a  few  simple  questions,  not  about 
himself,  but  about  me,  just  to  test  him.  He 
answered  most  of  them  with  surprising  correctness. 
«  His  name  ?  His  name  begins  with  an  S  I  think  : 
— You  call  him  Seymour.'  He  paused  long  between 
each  clause,  as  if  the  facts  were  revealed  to  him 
slowly.  '  Seymour — Wilbraham — Earl  of  Strafford. 
No,  not  Earl  of  Strafford!  Seymour  Wilbraham 
Wentworth.     There  seems  to   be  some  connection 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


in  somebody's  mind  now  present  between  Went- 
worth  and  Strafford.  I  am  not  English.  I  do  not 
know  what  it  means.  But  they  are  somehow  the 
same  name,  Wentworth  and  Strafford.* 

He  gazed  around,  apparently  for  confirmation. 
A  lady  came  to  his  rescue, 

'  Wentworth  was  the  surname  of  the  great  Earl 
of  Strafford,*  she  murmured  gently ;  '  and  I  was 
wondering,  as  you  spoke,  whether  Mr.  Wentworth 
might  possibly  be  descended  from  him.* 

'  He  is,*  the  Seer  replied  instantly,  with  a  flash 
of  those  dark  eyes.  And  I  thought  this  curious ; 
for  though  my  father  always  maintained  the  reality 
of  the  relationship,  there  was  one  link  wanting  to 
complete  the  pedigree.  He  could  not  make  sure 
that  the  Hon.  Thomas  Wilbraham  Wentworth  was 
the  father  of  Jonathan  Wentworth,  the  Bristol  horse- 
dealer,  from  whom  we  are  descended. 

*  Where  was  I  born  ? '  Sir  Charles  interrupted, 
coming  suddenly  to  his  own  case. 

The  Seer  clapped  his  two  hands  to  his  forehead 
and  held  it  between  them,  as  if  to  prevent  it  from 
bursting.  'Africa,'  he  said  slowly,  as  the  facts 
narrowed  down,  so  to  speak.  *  South  Africa  ;  Cape 
of  Good  Hope;  Jansenville;  De  Witt  Street      1840.' 

*By  Jove,  he's  correct,'  Sir  Charles  muttered. 
*  He  seems  really  to  do  it  Still,  he  may  have  found 
me  out  He  may  have  known  where  he  was 
coming.' 

*  I  never  gave  a  hint,'  I  answered  ;    till  he  reached 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  MEXICAN  SEER 


the  door,  he  didn't  even  know  to  what  hotel  I  was 
piloting  him.' 

The  Seer  stroked  his  chin  softly.  His  eye 
appeared  to  me  ;o  have  a  furtive  gleam  in  it. 
*  Would  you  like  me  to  tell  you  the  number  of  a 
bank-note  inclosed  in  an  envelope?*  he  asked 
casually. 

*  Go  out  of  the  room/  Sir  Charles  said,  '  while  I 
pass  it  round  the  company.' 

Sefior  Herrera  disappeared.  Sir  Charles  passed 
it  round  cautiously,  holding  it  all  the  time  in  his 
own  hand,  but  letting  his  guests  see  the  number. 
Then  he  placed  it  in  an  envelope  and  gummed  it 
down  firmly. 

The  Seer  returned.  His  keen  eyes  swept  the 
company  with  a  comprehensive  glance.  He  shook 
his  shaggy  mane.  Then  he  took  the  envelope  in 
his  hands  and  gazed  at  it  fixedly.  *AF,  73549,' 
he  answered,  in  a  slow  tone.  *  A  Bank  of  England 
note  for  fifty  pounds — exchanged  at  the  Casino  for 
gold  won  yesterday  at  Monte  Carlo.' 

*  I  see  how  he  did  that,'  Sir  Charles  said 
triumphantly.  'He  must  have  changed  it  there 
himself;  and  then  I  changed  it  back  again.  In 
point  of  fact,  I  remember  seeing  a  fellow  with  long 
hair  loafing  about.     Still,  it's  capital  conjuring.' 

'  He  can  see  through  matter,'  one  of  the  ladies 
interposed.  It  was  Madame  Picardct.  *  He  can  see 
through  a  box.'  She  drew  a  little  gold  vinaigrette, 
such    as    our  grandmothers    used,  from    her   dress- 


10 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


pocket.  'What  is  in  this?'  she  inquired,  holding  it 
up  to  him. 

Sefior  Herrera  gazed  through  it.  *  Three  gold 
coins/  he  replied,  knitting  his  brows  with  the  effort 
of  seeing  into  the  box :  *  one,  an  American  five 
dollars ;  one,  a  French  ten-franc  piece  ;  one,  twenty 
marks,  German,  of  the  old  Emperor  William.' 

She  opened  the  box  and  passed  it  round.  Sir 
Charles  smiled  a  quiet  smile. 

*  Confederacy  I '    he    muttered,    half    to    himself. 

*  Confederacy  ! ' 

The  Seer  turned  to  him  with  a  sullen  air.  *  You 
want  a  better  sign  ? '  he  said,  in  a  very  impressive 
voice.  '  A  sign  that  will  convince  you  !  Very  well : 
you  have  a  letter  in  your  left  waistcoat  pocket — a 
crumpled-up  letter.  Do  you  wish  me  to  read  it 
out?     I  will,  if  you  desire  it.' 

It  may  seem  to  those  who  know  Sir  Charles 
incredible,  but,  I  am  bound  to  admit,  my  brother-in- 
law  coloured.  What  that  letter  contained  I  cannot 
say ;  he  only  answered,  very  testily  and  evasively, 

*  No,  thank  you  ;  I  won't  trouble  you.  The  exhibi- 
tion you  have  already  given  us  of  your  skill  in  this 
kind  more  than  amply  suffices.'  And  his  fingers 
strayed  nervously  to  his  waistcoat  pocket,  as  if  he 
was  half  afraid,  even  then,  Sefior  Herrera  would 
read  it 

I  fancied,  too,  he  glanced  somewhat  anxiously 
towards  Madame  Picardet. 

The  Seer  bowed  courteously.     *  Your  will,  sefior, 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  MEXICAN  SEER 


II 


is  law/  he  said.  *  I  make  it  a  principle,  though  I 
can  see  through  all  things,  invariably  to  respect  the 
secrecies  and  sanctities.  If  it  were  not  so,  I  might 
dissolve  society.  For  which  of  us  is  there  who  could 
bear  the  whole  truth  being  told  about  him  ? '  He 
gazed  around  the  room.  An  unpleasant  thrill  super- 
vened. Most  of  us  felt  this  uncanny  Spanish 
American  knew  really  too  much.  And  some  of  us 
were  engaged  in  financial  operations. 

'  For  example,'  the  Seer  continued  blandly,  '  I 
happened  a  kw  weeks  ago  to  travel  down  here  from 
Paris  by  train  with  a  very  intelligent  man,  a  company 
promoter.  He  had  in  his  bag  some  documents — 
some  confidential  documents : '  he  glanced  at  Sir 
Charles.  '  You  know  the  kind  of  thing,  my  dear  sir  : 
reports  from  experts — from  mining  engineers.  You 
may  have  seen  some  such  ;  marked  strictly  private! 

'They  form  an  element  in  high  finance,'  Sir 
Charles  admitted  coldly. 

•  Pre-cisely,'  the  Seer  murmured,  his  accent  for 
a  moment  less  Spanish  than  before.  *  And,  as  they 
were  marked  strictly  private^  I  respect,  of  course,  the 
seal  of  confidence.  That's  all  I  wish  to  say.  I 
hold  it  a  duty,  being  intrusted  with  such  powers, 
not  to  use  them  in  a  manner  which  may  annoy  or 
incommode  my  fellow-creatures.' 

•Your  feeling  does  you  honour,'  Sir  Charles 
answered,  with  some  acerbity.  Then  he  whispered 
in  my  ear :  '  Confounded  clever  scoundrel,  Sey ; 
rather  wish  we  hadn't  brought  him  here.' 


la 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


Scfior  Hcrrcra  seemed  intuitively  to  divine  this 
wish,  for  he  interposed,  in  a  lighter  .ind  gayer  tone — 

*  I  will  now  show  you  a  different  and  more  inter- 
esting embodiment  of  occult  power,  for  which  we 
shall  need  a  somewhat  subdued  arrangement  of 
surrounding  lights.  Would  you  mind,  sefior  host — 
for  I  have  purposely  abstained  from  reading  your 
name  on  the  brain  of  any  one  present — would  you 
mind  my  turning  down  this  lamp  just  a  little?  .  .  . 
So  !  That  will  do.  Now,  this  one  ;  and  this  one. 
Exactly  I  that's  right.'  He  poured  a  few  grains  of 
powder  out  of  a  packet  into  a  saucer.  *  Next,  a 
match,  if  you  please.  Thank  you  ! '  It  burnt  with 
a  strange  green  light.  He  drew  from  his  pocket  a 
card,  and  produced  a  little  ink-bottle.  *  Have  you  a 
pen  ? '  he  asked. 

I  instantly  brought  one.  He  handed  it  to  Sir 
Charles.  'Oblige  me/  he  said,  *by  writing  your 
name  there.*  And  he  indicated  a  place  in  the 
centre  of  the  card,  which  had  an  embossed  edge, 
with  a  small  middle  square  of  a  different  colour. 

Sir  Charles  has  a  natural  disinclination  to  signing 
his  name  without  knowing  why.  *What  do  you 
want  with  it  ? '  he  asked.  (A  millionaire's  signature 
has  so  many  uses.) 

'  I  want  you  to  put  the  card  in  an  envelope,*  the 
Seer  replied,  'and  then  to  burn  it.  After  that,  I 
shall  show  you  your  own  name  written  in  letters  of 
blood  on  my  arm,  in  your  own  handwriting.' 

Sir  Charles  took  the  pen.     If  the  signature  was 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  MEXICAN  SEER 


«3 


ture  was 


to  be  burned  as  soon  as  finished,  he  didn't  mind 
giving  it.  He  wrote  his  name  in  his  usual  firm 
clear  style — the  writing  of  a  man  who  knows  his 
worth  and  is  not  afraid  of  drawing  a  cheque  for 
five  thousand. 

'  Look  at  it  long,'  the  Seer  said,  from  the  other 
side  of  the  room.      He  had  not  watched  him  write  it. 

Sir  Charles  stared  at  it  fixedly.  The  Seer  was 
really  beginning  to  produce  an  impression. 

*  Now,  put  it  in  that  envelope,'  the  Seer  ex- 
claimed. 

Sir  Charles,  like  a  lamb,  placed  it  as  directed. 

The  Seer  strode  forward.  *  Give  me  the 
envelope,'  he  said.  He  took  it  in  his  hand,  walked 
over  towards  the  fireplace,  and  solemnly  burnt  it. 
*  See — it  crumbles  into  ashes,'  he  cried.  Then  he 
came  back  to  the  middle  of  the  room,  close  to  the 
green  light,  rolled  up  his  sleeve,  and  held  his  arm 
before  Sir  Charles.  There,  in  blood-red  letters,  my 
brother-in-law  read  the  name,  '  Charles  Vandrift,'  in 
his  own  handwriting ! 

*I  see  how  that's  done,'  Sir  Charles  murmured, 
drawing  back.  *  It's  a  clever  delusion  ;  but  still,  I 
see  through  it.  It's  like  that  ghost -book.  Your 
ink  was  deep  green  ;  your  light  was  green  ;  you 
made  me  look  at  it  long  ;  and  then  I  saw  the  same 
thing  written  on  the  skin  of  your  arm  in  com- 
plementary colours.' 

*  You  think  so  ? '  the  Seer  replied,  with  a  curious 
curl  of  the  lip. 


i 


u 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


*  I'm  sure  of  it,'  Sir  Charles  answered. 

Ouick  as  lightning  the  Seer  again  rolled  up  his 
sleeve.  '  That's  your  name,'  he  cried,  in  a  very  clear 
voice,  *  but  not  your  whole  name.  What  do  you 
say,  then,  to  my  right  ?  Is  this  one  also  a  com- 
plementary colour  ? '  lie  held  his  other  arm  out. 
There,  in  sea-green  letters,  I  read  the  name, '  Charles 


IN    BLOOD-RED   LETTERS,    MY   PROTHER-IN-LAW   READ  THE   NAME. 


O'SuUivan  Vandrift'  It  is  my  brother-in-law's  full 
baptismal  designation  ;  but  he  has  dropped  the 
O'Sullivan  for  many  years  past,  and,  to  say  the 
truth,  doesn't  like  it.  He  is  a  little  bit  ashamed  of 
his  mother's  family. 

Charles  glanced  at  it  hurriedly.  *  Quite  right,* 
he  said,  '  quite  right ! '  But  his  voice  was  hollow. 
I  cculd  guess  he  didn't  care  to  continue  the  si'ance. 
He  could  see  through  the  man,  of  course ;   but  it 


THE  EPisonr.  OF  Tiin  Mexican  seer 


»5 


was  clear  the  fellow  knew  too  much  about  us  to  be 
entirely  pleasant. 

'  Turn  up  the  lights,'  I  said,  and  a  servant  turned 
them.  •  Shall  I  say  coffee  and  bcnedictine  ? '  I 
whispered  to  Vandrift. 

'  By  all  means,'  he  answered.  '  Anything  to  keep 
this  fellow  from  further  impertinences  I  And,  I  say, 
don't  you  think  you'd  better  suggest  at  the  same 
time  that  the  men  should  smoke?  Even  these 
ladies  are  not  above  a  cigarette — some  of  them.' 

There  was  a  sigh  of  relief.  The  lights  burned 
brightly.  The  Seer  for  the  moment  retired  from 
business,  so  to  speak.  He  accepted  a  partaga  with 
a  very  good  grace,  sipped  his  coffee  in  a  corner,  and 
chatted  to  the  lady  who  had  suggested  Strafford 
with  marked  politeness.  He  was  a  polished 
gentleman. 

Next  morning,  in  the  hall  of  the  hotel,  I  saw 
Madame  Picardet  again,  in  a  neat  tailor-made 
travelling  dress,  evidently  bound  for  the  railway- 
station. 

'  What,  off,  Madame  Picardet  ? '  I  cried. 

She  smiled,  and  held  out  her  prettily- gloved 
hand.  *Yes,  I'm  off,'  she  answered  archly. 
'  Florence,  or  Rome,  or  somewhere.  I've  drained 
Nice  dry — like  a  sucked  orange.  Got  all  the  fun  I 
can  out  of  it  Now  I'm  away  again  to  my  beloved 
Italy.' 

But  it  struck  me  as  odd  that,  if  Italy  was  her 
game,  she  went  by  the  omnibus  which  takes  down 


l6 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


to  the  train  de  luxe  for  Paris.  However,  a  man  of 
the  world  accepts  what  a  lady  tells  him,  no  matter 
how  improbable ;  and  I  confess,  for  ten  days  or 
so,  I  thought  no  more  about  her,  or  the  Seer 
either. 

At  the  end  of  that  time  our  fortnightly  pass-book 
came  in  from  the  bank  in  London.  It  is  part  of 
my  duty,  as  the  millionaire's  secretary,  to  make  up 
this  book  once  a  fortnight,  and  to  compare  the 
cancelled  cheques  with  Sir  Charles's  counterfoils. 
On  this  particular  occasion  I  happened  to  observe 
what  I  can  only  describe  as  a  very  grave  discrepancy, 
— in  fact,  a  discrepancy  of  ;i^5ooo.  On  the  wrong 
side,  too.  Sir  Charles  was  debited  with  ;^5ooo 
more  than  the  total  amount  that  was  shown  on  the 
counterfoils. 

I  examined  the  book  with  care.  The  source  of 
the  error  was  obvious.  It  lay  in  a  cheque  to  Self 
or  Bearer,  for  ;^5000,  signed  by  Sir  Charles,  and 
evidently  paid  across  the  counter  in  London,  as  it 
bore  on  its  face  no  stamp  or  indication  of  any  other 
office. 

I  called  in  my  brother-in-law  from  the  salon  to 
the  study.  'Look  here,  Chcfles/  I  said, 'there's  a 
cheque  in  the  book  which  you  haven't  entered.' 
And  I  handed  it  to  him  without  comment,  for  I 
thought  it  might  have  been  drawn  to  settle  some 
little  less  on  the  turf  or  at  cards,  or  to  make  up  some 
other  affair  he  didn't  desire  to  mention  to  me. 
These  things  will  happen. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  MEXICAN  SEER 


17 


i  itl 
m 


He  looked  at  it  and  stared  hard.  Then  he 
pursed  up  his  mouth  and  gave  a  long  low  '  Whew  ! ' 
At  last  he  turned  it  over  and  remarked,  *  I  say,  Sey, 
my  boy,  we've  just  been  done  jolly  well  brown> 
haven't  we  ? ' 

I  glanced  at  the  cheque.  *  How  do  you  mean  ? ' 
I  inquired. 

*  Why,  the  Seer,'  he  replied,  still  staring  at  it 
ruefully.  '  I  don't  mind  the  five  thou.,  but  to  think 
the  fellow  should  ■■  ive  gammoned  the  pair  of  us  like 
that — ignominious,  I  call  it ! ' 

*  How  do  you  know  it's  the  Seer  ? '  I  asked. 

*  Look  at  the  green  ink,'  he  answered.  '  Besides, 
I  recollect  the  very  shape  of  the  last  flourish.  I 
flourished  a  bit  like  that  in  the  excitement  of  the 
moment,  which  I  don't  always  do  with  my  regular 
signature.* 

*  He's  done  us,'  I  answered,  recognising  it.  '  But 
how  the  dickens  did  he  manage  to  transfer  it  to  the 
cheque  ?  This  looks  like  your  own  handwriting, 
Charles,  not  a  clever  forgery.' 

'  It  is,'  he  said.  '  I  admit  it — I  can't  deny  it. 
Only  fancy  his  bamboozling  me  when  I  was  most 
on  my  guard  I  I  wasn't  to  be  taken  in  by  any 
of  his  silly  occult  tricks  and  catch-words  ;  but  it 
never  occiured  to  me  he  was  going  to  victimise  me 
financially  in  this  way.  I  expected  attempts  at  a 
loan  or  an  extortion  ;  but  to  collar  my  signature  to 
a  blank  cheque — atrocious  ! ' 

'  How  did  he  manage  it  ? '  I  asked. 

C 


ll 


i8 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


p.i  I 


'  I  haven't  the  faintest  conception.  I  only  know 
those  are  the  words  I  wrote.  I  could  swear  to  them 
anywhere.' 

'Then  you  can't  protest  the  cheque? 

'  Unfortunately,  no ;  it's  my  own  true  signa- 
ture.' 


I   GUESS   you've    PEEN   VICTIMISED. 


We  went  that  afternoon  without  delay  to  sec  the 
Chief  Commissary  of  Police  at  the  office.  He  was 
a  gentlemanly  Frenchman,  much  less  formal  and 
red-tapcy  than  usual,  and  he  spoke  excellent  English 
with  an  American  accent,  having  acted,  in  fact,  as  a 
detective  in  New  York  for  about  ten  years  in  his 
early  manhood. 

*  I  guess,'  he  said  slowly,  after  hearing  our  story, 


I 

iiiii 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  MEXICAN  SEER 


19 


'you've  been  victimised   right  here  by  Colonel  Clay, 
gentlemen.' 

*  Who  is  Colonel  Clay  ? '  Sir  Charles  asked. 

*  That's  just  what  I  want  to  know,'  the  Commis- 
sary answered,  in  his  curious  American -French- 
F.nglish.  '  He  is  a  Colonel,  because  he  occasionally 
gives  himself  a  commission  ;  he  is  called  Colonel 
Clay,  because  he  appears  to  possess  an  india-rubber 
face,  and  he  can  mould  it  like  clay  in  the  hands 
of  the  potter.  Real  name,  unknown.  Nationality, 
equally  French  and  Fnglish.  Address,  usually 
Europe.  Profession,  former  maker  of  wax  figures 
to  the  Mus6e  Grcvin.  Age,  what  he  chooses.  Em- 
ploys his  knowledge  to  mould  his  own  nose  and 
cheeks,  with  wax  additions,  to  the  character  he 
desires  to  personate.  Aquiline  this  time,  you  say. 
Hein  !     Anything  like  these  photographs  ? ' 

He  rummaged  in  his  desk  and  handed  us  two. 

*  Not  in  the  least,'  Sir  Charles  answered.  'Except, 
perhaps,  as  to  the  neck,  everything  here  is  quite 
unlike  him.* 

'  Then  that's  the  Colonel ! '  the  Commissary 
answered,  with  decision,  rubbing  his  hands  in  glee. 
'  Look  here,'  and  he  took  out  a  pencil  and  rapidly 
sketched  the  outline  of  one  of  the  two  faces — that 
of  a  bland-looking  young  man,  with  no  expression 
worth  mentioning.  'There's  the  Colonel  in  his 
simple  disguise.  Very  good.  Now  watch  me : 
figure  to  yourself  that  he  adds  here  a  tiny  patch  of 
wax  to  his  nose — an  aquiline  bridge — ^just  so  ;  well, 


20 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


you  have  him  right  there  ;  and  the  chin,  ah,  one 
touch  :  now,  for  hair,  a  wig  :  for  complexion,  nothing 
easier:  that's  the  profile  of  your  rascal,  isn't  it?' 

*  Exactly,'  we  both  murmured.  By  two  curves  of 
the  pencil,  and  a  shock  of  false  hair,  the  face  was 
transmuted. 

'  He  had  very  large  eyes,  with  very  big  pupils, 
though,'  I  objected,  looking  close  ;  *  and  the  man  in 
the  photograph  here  has  them  small  and  boiled- 
fishy.' 

*  That's  so,*  the  Commissary  answered.  '  A  drop 
of  belladonna  expands — and  produces  the  Seer  ; 
five  grains  of  opium  contract — and  give  a  dead-alive, 
stupidly-innocent  appearance.  Well,  you  leave  this 
affair  to  me,  gentlemen.  I'll  see  the  fun  out.  I 
don't  say  I'll  catch  him  for  you  ;  nobody  ever  yet 
has  caught  Colonel  Clay ;  but  I'll  explain  how  he 
did  the  trick ;  and  that  ought  to  be  consolation 
enough  to  a  man  of  your  means  for  a  trifle  of  five 
thousand ! ' 

*You  are  not  the  conventional  French  office- 
holder, M.  le  Commissaire,'  I  ventured  to  interpose. 

*  You  bet !  *  the  Commissary  replied,  and  drew 
himself  up  like  a  captain  of  infantry.  *  Messieu-"^,' 
he  continued,  in  French,  with  the  utmost  dignity,  '  I 
shall  devote  the  resources  of  this  office  to  tracing 
out  the  crime,  and,  if  possible,  to  effectuating  the 
arrest  of  the  culpable.' 

We  telegraphed  to  London,  of  course,  and  we 
wrote   to  the   bank,  with  a  full  description   of  the 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  MEXICAN  SEER 


21 


suspected  person.  But  I  need  hardly  add  that 
nothing  came  of  it. 

Three  days  later  the  Commissary  called  at  our 
hotel.  *  Well,  gentlemen,'  he  said, '  I  am  glad  to  say 
I  have  discovered  everything  ! ' 

'What?     Arrested  the  Seer?'  Sir  Charles  cried. 

The  Commissary  drew  back,  almost  horrified  at 
the  suggestion. 

'Arrested  Colonel  Clay?*  he  exclaimed.  *  Mais, 
monsieur,  we  are  only  human  !  Arrested  him?  No, 
not  quite.  But  tracked  out  how  he  did  it.  That  is 
already  much — to  unravel  Colonel  Clay,  gentlemen  ! ' 

'  Well,  what  do  you  make  of  it  ? '  Sir  Charles 
asked,  crestfallen. 

The  Commissary  sat  down  and  gloated  over  his 
discovery.  It  was  clear  a  well-planned  crime  amused 
him  vastly.  '  In  the  first  place,  monsieur,'  he  said, 
'disabuse  your  mind  of  the  idea  that  when  monsieur 
your  secretary  went  out  to  fetch  Senor  Herrera  that 
night,  Scfior  Herrera  didn't  know  to  whose  rooms 
he  was  coming.  Quite  otherwise,  in  point  of  fact. 
I  do  not  doubt  myself  that  Senor  Herrera,  or  Colonel 
Clay  (call  him  which  you  like),  came  to  Nice  this 
winter  for  no  other  purpose  than  just  to  rob  you.' 

'  But  I  sent  for  him,'  my  brother-in-law  inter- 
posed. 

*  Yes  ;  he  meant  you  to  send  for  him.  He  forced 
a  card,  so  to  speak.  If  he  couldn't  do  that  I  guess 
he  would  be  a  pretty  poor  conjurer.  He  had  a  lady 
of  his   own — his   wife,  let   us   say,  or   his   sister — 


22 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


Stopping  here  at  this  hotel ;  a  certain  Madame 
Picardet.  Through  her  he  induced  several  ladies  of 
your  circle  to  attend  his  stances.  She  and  they 
spoke  to  you  about  him,  and  aroused  your  curiosity. 
You  may  bet  your  bottom  dollar  that  when  he  came 
to  this  room  he  came  ready  primed  and  prepared 
with  endless  facts  about  both  of  you.' 

*  What  fools  we  have  been,  Sey,'  my  brother-in- 
law  exclaimed.  '  I  see  it  all  now.  That  designing 
woman  sent  round  before  dinner  to  say  I  wanted  to 
meet  him  ;  and  by  the  time  you  got  there  he  was 
ready  for  bamboozling  me.' 

'  That's  so,'  the  Commissary  answered.  *  He  had 
your  name  ready  painted  on  both  his  arms  ;  and  he 
had  made  other  preparations  of  still  greater  import- 
ance.' 

'  You  mean  the  cheque.  Well,  how  did  he  get 
it?' 

The  Commissary  opened  the  door.  '  Come  in,' 
he  said.  And  a  young  man  entered  whom  we 
recognised  at  once  as  the  chief  clerk  in  the  Foreign 
Department  of  the  Credit  Marseillais,  the  principal 
bank  all  along  the  Riviera. 

*  State  what  you  know  of  this  cheque,'  the  Com- 
missary said,  showing  it  to  him,  for  we  had  handed 
it  over  to  the  police  as  a  piece  of  evidence. 

*  About  four  weeks  since '  the  clerk  began. 

*  Say  ten  days  before  your  s^ancCy  the  Commis- 
sary interposed. 

*  A  gentleman  with  very  long  hair  and  an  aquiline 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  MEXICAN  SEER 


23 


nose,  dark,  strange,  and  handsome,  called  in  at  my 
department  and  asked  if  I  could  tell  him  the  name 
of  Sir  Charles  Vandrift's  London  banker.  He  said 
he  had  a  sum  to  pay  in  to  your  credit,  and  asked  if 
we  would  forward  it  for  him.  I  told  him  it  was 
irregular  for  us  to  receive  the  money,  as  you  had  no 
account  with  us,  but  that  your  London  bankers  were 
Darby,  Drummond,  and  Rothenbcrg,  Limited.* 

'  Quite  right,'  Sir  Charles  murmured. 

'Two  days  later  a  lady,  Madame  Picardet,  who 
was  a  customer  of  ours,  brought  in  a  good  cheque 
for  three  hundred  pounds,  signed  by  a  first-rate 
name,  and  asked  us  to  pay  it  in  on  her  behalf  to 
Darby,  Drummond,  and  Rothenbcrg's,  and  to  open 
a  London  account  with  them  for  her.  We  did  so, 
and  received  in  reply  a  cheque-book.' 

*  From  which  this  cheque  was  taken,  as  I  learn 
from  the  number,  by  telegram  from  London,'  the 
Commissary  put  in.  *  Also,  that  on  the  same  day 
on  which  your  cheque  was  cashed,  Madame  Picardet, 
in  London,  withdrew  her  balance.' 

*  But  how  did  the  fellow  get  me  to  sign  the 
cheque  ? '  Sir  Charles  cried.  *  How  did  he  manage 
the  card  trick?* 

The  Commissary  produced  a  similar  card  from 
his  pocket.  *  Was  that  the  sort  of  thing  ?  *  he 
asked. 

'  Precisely  !      A  facsimile.' 

*  ^  thought  so.  Well,  our  Colonel,  I  find,  bought 
a  packet  of  such  cards,  intended  for  admission  to  a 


\  Jl 


III 


84 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


religious  function,  at  a  shop  in   the  Quai   Masscna. 

He  cut  out   the   centre,   and,   sec   here *      The 

Commissary  turned   it  over,  and   showed   a  piece  of 
paper  pasted  neatly  over  the  back  ;  this  he  tore  off. 


UADAME  PICAUnUT  WITHDREW   HER 
BALANCE. 


and  there,  concealed  behind  it,  lay  a  folded  cheque, 
with  only  the  place  where  the  signature  should  be 
written  showing  through  on  the  face  which  the  Seer 
had  presented  to  us.  *  I  call  that  a  neat  trick,'  the 
Commissary  remarked,  with  professional  enjoyment 
of  a  really  good  deception. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  MEXICAN  SEER 


2S 


*  But  he  burnt  the  envelope  before  my  eyes,'  Sir 
Charles  exclaimed. 

*  Pooh  ! '  the  Commissary  answered.  '  What  would 
he  be  worth  as  a  conjurer,  anyway,  if  he  couldn't 
substitute  one  envelope  for  ano'^iher  between  the 
table  and  the  fireplace  without  your  noticing  it? 
And  Colonel  Clay,  you  must  remember,  is  a  prince 
among  conjurers.' 

'  Well,  it's  a  comfort  to  know  we've  identified  our 
man,  and  the  woman  who  was  with  him,'  Sir  Charles 
said,  with  a  slight  sigh  of  relief.  '  The  next  thing 
will  be,  of  course,  you'll  follow  them  up  on  these 
clues  in  England  and  arrest  them  ? ' 

The  Commissary  shrugged  his  shoulders.  'Arrest 
them  !'  he  exclaimed,  much  amused.  'Ah,  monsieur, 
but  you  are  sanguine !  No  officer  of  justice  has 
ever  succeeded  in  arresting  le  Colonel  Caoutchouc, 
as  we  call  him  in  French.  He  is  as  slippery  as  an 
eel,  that  man.  He  wriggles  through  our  fingers. 
Suppose  even  we  caught  him,  what  could  we  prove  ? 
I  ask  you.  Nobody  who  has  seen  him  once  can 
ever  swear  to  him  again  in  his  next  impersonation. 
He  is  unpayable,  this  good  Colonel.  On  the  day 
when  I  arrest  him,  I  assure  you,  monsieur,  I  shall 
consider  myself  the  smartest  police-officer  in  Europe.' 

'  Well,  I  shall  catch  him  yet,'  Sir  Charles  answered, 
and  relapsed  into  silence. 


II 


THE   EPISODE  OF   THE   DIAMOND   LINKS 

*  Let  us  take  a  trip  to  Switzerland,'  said  Lady 
Vandrift.  And  any  one  who  knows  Amelia  will  not 
be  surprised  to  learn  that  we  did  take  a  trip  to 
Switzerland  accordingly.  Nobody  can  drive  Sir 
Charles,  e.cept  his  wife.  And  nobody  at  all  can 
drive  Amelia. 

There  were  difficulties  at  the  outset,  because  we 
had  not  ordered  rooms  at  the  hotels  beforehand,  and 
it  was  well  on  in  the  season  ;  but  they  were  over- 
come at  last  by  the  usual  application  of  a  golden 
key ;  and  we  fornd  ourselves  in  due  time  pleasantly 
quartered  in  Lucerne,  at  that  most  comfortable  of 
European  hostelries,  the  Schweitzerhof. 

We  were  a  square  party  of  four — Sir  Charles  and 
Amelia,  myself  and  Isabel.  We  had  nice  big  rooms, 
on  the  first  floor,  overlooking  the  lake ;  and  as  none 
of  us  was  possessed  with  the  faintest  symptom  of 
that  incipient  mania  which  shows  itself  in  the  form 
of  an  insane  desire  to  climb  mountain  heights  of 
disagreeable  steepness  and  unnecessary  snowiness,  I 
will  venture  to  assert  we  all  enjoyed  ourselves.     We 


i  I 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS 


27 


spent  most  of  our  time  sensibly  in  lounging  about  the 
lake  on  the  jolly  little  steamers  ;  and  when  we  did 
a  mountain  climb,  it  was  on  the  Rigi  or  Pilatus 
— where  an  engine  undertook  all  the  muscular  work 
fr  r  us. 

As  usual,  at  the  hotel,  a  great  many  miscellaneous 
people  showed  a  burning  desire  to  be  specially  nice 
to  us.  If  you  wish  to  see  how  friendly  and  charming 
humanity  is,  just  try  being  a  well-known  millionaire 
for  a  week,  and  you'll  learn  a  thing  or  two.  Wher- 
ever Sir  Charles  goes  he  is  surrounded  by  charming 
and  disinterested  people,  all  eager  to  make  his 
distinguished  acquaintance,  and  all  familiar  with 
several  excellent  investments,  or  several  deserving 
objects  of  Christian  charity.  It  is  my  business  in 
life,  as  his  brother-in-law  and  secretary,  to  decline 
with  thanks  the  excellent  investments,  and  to  throw 
judicious  cold  water  on  the  objects  of  charity.  Even 
I  myself,  as  the  great  man's  almoner,  am  very  much 
sought  after.  People  casually  allude  before  me  to 
artless  stories  of  '  poor  curates  in  Cumberland,  you 
know,  Mr.  Wcntworth,'  or  widows  in  Cornwall, 
penniless  poets  with  epics  in  their  desks,  and  young 
painters  who  need  but  the  breath  of  a  patron  to  open 
to  them  the  doors  of  an  admiring  Academy.  I  smile 
and  look  wise,  while  I  administer  cold  water  in 
minute  doses  ;  but  I  never  report  one  of  these  cases 
to  Sir  Charles,  except  in  the  rare  or  almost  unheard- 
of  event  where  I  think  there  is  really  something  in 
them. 


m 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


6    ! 


i     f. 


Ever  since  our  little  adventure  with  the  Seer  at 
Nice,  Sir  Charles,  who  is  constitutionally  cautious, 
had  been  even  more  careful  than  usual  about  possible 
sharpers.  And,  as  chance  would  have  it,  there  sat 
just  opposite  us  at  table  d'/idte  at  the  Schweitzerhof 
— 'tis  a  fad  of  Amelia's  to  dine  at  table  d'/idte ;  she 
says  she  can't  bear  to  be  boxed  up  all  day  in  private 
rooms  with  'too  much  family* — a  sinister-looking 
man  with  dark  hair  and  eyes,  conspicuous  by  his 
bushy  overhanging  eyebrows.  My  attention  was 
first  called  to  the  eyebrows  in  question  by  a  nice 
little  parson  who  sat  at  our  side,  and  who  observed 
that  they  were  made  up  of  certain  large  and  bristly 
hairs,  which  (he  told  us)  had  been  traced  by  Darwin 
to  our  monkey  ancestors.  Very  pleasant  little 
fellow,  this  fresh-faced  young  parson,  on  his  honey- 
moon tour  with  a  nice  wee  wife,  a  bonnie  Scotch 
lassie  with  a  charming  accent. 

I  looked  at  the  eyebrows  close.  Then  a  sudden 
thought  struck  me.  *  Do  you  believe  they're  his 
own  ? '  I  asked  of  the  curate ;  '  or  are  they  only 
stuck  on — a  make-up  disguise  ?  They  really  almost 
look  like  it.* 

'You   don't   suppose '   Charles    began,   and 

checked  himself  suddenly. 

'  Yes,  I  do,*  I  answered  ;  *  the  Seer  I  *  Then  I 
recollected  my  blunder,  and  looked  down  sheepishly. 
For,  to  say  the  truth,  Vandrift  had  straightly  en- 
joined on  me  long  before  to  say  nothing  of  our 
painful  little  episode  at  Nice  to  Amelia ;    he  was 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS 


29 


and 


afraid  if  she  once  heard  of  it,  lie  would  hear  of  it  for 
ever  after. 

'  What  Seer  ? '  the  little  parson  inquired,  with 
parsonical  curiosity. 

I  noticed  the  man  with  the  overhanging  eyebrows 
give  a  queer  sort  of  start.  Charles's  glance  was  fixed 
upon  me.      I  hardly  knew  what  to  answer. 

'  Oh,  a  man  who  was  at  Nice  with  us  last  year,* 
I  stammered  out,  trying  hard  to  look  unconcerned. 
'A  fellow  they  talked  about,  that's  all.'  And  I 
turned  the  subject. 

But  the  curate,  like  a  donkey,  wouldn't  let  me 
turn  it. 

'  Had  he  eyebrows  like  that  ? '  he  inquired,  in 
an  undertone.  I  was  really  angry.  If  this  was 
Colonel  Clay,  the  curate  was  obviously  giving  him 
the  cue,  and  making  it  much  more  difficult  for  us 
to  catch  him,  now  we  might  possibly  have  lighted 
on  the  chance  of  doing  so. 

*  No,  he  hadn't,'  I  answered  testily ;  '  it  was  a 
passing  expression.  But  this  is  not  the  man.  I  was 
mistaken,  no  doubt'     And  I  nudged  him  gently. 

The  little  curate  was  too  innocent  for  anything. 
*0h,  I  see,'  he  replied,  nodding  hard  and  looking 
wise.  Then  he  turned  to  his  wife  and  made  an 
obvious  face,  which  the  man  with  the  eyebrows 
couldn't  fail  to  notice. 

Fortunately,  a  political  discussion  going  on  a  few 
places  farther  down  the  table  spread  up  to  us  and 
diverted  attention  for  a  moment.     The  magical  name 


i' ; ' 


I'll 


I VI 


30 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


14' 


of  Gladstone  saved  us.  Sir  Charles  flared  up.  I 
was  truly  pleased,  for  I  could  see  Amelia  was  boiling 
over  with  curiosity  by  this  time. 


THE    MAN    WITH    THE    UK;    KVKItROWS    SIDLED    UP. 

After  dinner,  in  the  billiard-room,  however,  the 
man  with  the  big  eyebrows  sidled  up  and  began  to 
talk  to  me.  If  he  zaas  Colonel  Clay,  it  was  evident  he 
bore  us  no  grudge  at  all  for  the  five  thousand  pounds 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS 


3» 


he  had  done  us  out  of.  On  the  contrary,  he  seemed 
quite  prepared  to  do  us  out  of  five  thousand  more 
when  opportunity  offered  ;  for  he  introduced  himself 
at  once  as  Dr.  Hector  Macpherson,  the  exclusive 
grantee  of  extensive  concessions  from  the  Brazilian 
Government  on  the  Upper  Amazons.  He  dived 
into  conversation  with  me  at  once  as  to  the  splendid 
mineral  resources  of  his  Brazilian  v-state — the  silver, 
the  platinum,  the  actual  rubies,  the  possible  diamonds. 
I  listened  and  smiled  ;  I  knew  what  was  coming. 
All  he  needed  to  develop  this  magnificent  concession 
was  a  little  more  capital.  It  was  sad  to  see  thousands 
of  pounds*  worth  of  platinum  and  car-loads  of  rubies 
just  crumbling  in  the  soil  or  carried  away  by  the 
river,  for  want  of  a  few  hundreds  to  wo'.k  them  with 
properly.  If  he  knew  of  anybody,  now,  with  money 
to  invest,  he  could  recommend  him — nay,  offer  him 
— a  unique  opportunity  of  earning,  say,  40  per  cent 
on  his  capital,  on  unimpeachable  security. 

*  I  wouldn't  do  it  for  every  man,'  Dr.  Hector 
Macpherson  remarked,  drawing  himself  up;  'but  if 
I  took  a  fancy  to  a  fellow  who  had  command  of 
ready  cash,  I  might  choose  to  put  him  in  the  way 
of  feathering  his  nest  with  unexampled  rapidity.* 

*  Exceedingly  disinterested  of  you,'  I  answered 
drily,  fixing  my  eyes  on  his  eyebrows. 

The  little  curate,  meanwhile,  was  playing  billiards 
with  Sir  Charles.  His  glance  followed  mine  as  it 
rested  for  a  moment  on  the  monkey-like  hairs. 

*  False,  obviously  false,'  he  remarked  with  his  lips  ; 


:vi 


I 


! 


si 

I 


32 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


'\ 


i  f 


and  I'm  bound  to  confess  I  never  saw  any  man 
speak  so  well  by  movement  alone  ;  you  could  follow 
every  word  though  not  a  sound  escaped  him. 

During  the  rest  of  that  evening  Dr.  Hector 
Macpherson  stuck  to  me  as  close  as  a  mustard- 
plaster.  And  he  was  almost  as  irritating.  I  got 
heartily  sick  of  the  Upper  Amazons.  I  have 
positively  waded  in  my  time  through  ruby  mines  (in 
prospectuses,  I  mean)  till  the  mere  sight  of  a  ruby 
absolutely  sickens  me.  When  Charles,  in  an  un- 
wonted fit  of  generosity,  once  gave  his  sister  Isabel 
(whom  I  had  the  honour  to  marry)  a  ruby  necklet 
(inferior  stones),  I  made  Isabel  change  it  for  sapphires 
and  amethysts,  on  the  judicious  plea  that  they  suited 
her  complexion  better.  (I  scored  one,  incidentally, 
for  having  considered  Isabel's  complexion.)  By  the 
time  I  went  to  bed  I  was  prepared  to  sink  the 
Upper  Amazons  in  the  sea,  and  to  stab,  shoot, 
poison,  or  otherwise  seriously  damage  the  man  with 
the  concession  and  the  false  eyebrows. 

For  the  next  three  days,  at  intervals,  he  returned 
to  the  charge.  He  bored  me  to  death  with  his 
platinum  and  his  rubies.  He  didn't  want  a  capitalist 
who  would  personally  exploit  the  thing ;  he  would 
prefer  to  do  it  all  on  his  own  account,  giving  the 
capitalist  preference  debentures  of  his  bogus  company, 
and  a  lien  on  the  concession.  I  listened  and  smiled  ; 
I  listened  and  yawned  ;  I  listened  and  was  rude  ;  I 
ceased  to  listen  at  all ;  but  still  he  droned  on  with 
it     I  fell  asleep  on  the  steamer  one  day,  and  woke 


I  i 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS 


33 


up  Jn  ten  minutes  to  hear  him  droning  yet,  '  And 

the  yield  of  platinum  per  ton  was  certified  to  be ' 

I  forget  how  many  pounds,  or  ounces,  or  penny- 
weights. These  details  of  assays  have  ceased  to 
interest  me :  like  the  man  who  '  didn't  believe  in 
ghosts,'  I  have  seen  too  many  of  them. 

The  fresh-faced  little  curate  and  his  wife,  however, 
were  quite  different  people.  He  was  a  cricketing 
Oxford  man  ;  she  was  a  breezy  Scotch  lass,  with  a 
wholesome  breath  of  the  Highlands  about  her.  I 
called  her  'White  Heather.'  Their  name  was 
Brabazon.  Millionaires  are  so  accustomed  to  being 
beset  by  harpies  of  every  description,  that  when  they 
come  across  a  young  couple  who  are  simple  and 
natural,  they  delight  in  the  purely  human  relation. 
We  picnicked  and  went  excursions  a  great  deal  with 
the  hons.ymooners.  They  were  so  frank  in  their 
young  love,  and  so  proof  against  chaff,  that  we  all 
really  liked  them.  But  whenever  I  called  the  pretty 
girl  'White  Heather,'  she  looked  so  shocked,  and 
cried  :  '  Oh,  Mr.  Wentworth  ! '  Still,  we  were  the 
best  of  friends.  The  curate  offered  to  row  us  in  a 
boat  on  the  lake  one  day,  while  the  Scotch  lassie 
assured  us  she  could  take  an  oar  almost  as  well  as 
he  did.  However,  we  did  not  accept  their  offer,  at 
row-boats  exert  an  unfavourable  influence  upon 
Amelia's  digestive  organs. 

'  Nice  young  fellow,  that  man  Brabazon,'  Sir 
Charles  said  to  me  one  day,  as  we  lounged  together 
along  the  quay ;   '  never  talks  about  advowsons  or 


i    i: 


« 


,!    ( 


34 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


next  presentations.  Doesn't  seem  to  me  to  care 
two  pins  about  promotion.  Says  he's  quite  content 
in  his  country  curacy  ;  enough  to  live  upon,  and 
needs  no  more ;  and  his  wife  has  a  little,  a  very 
little,  money.  I  asked  him  about  his  poor  to- day, 
on  purpose  to  test  him  :  these  parsons  are  always 
trying  to  screw  something  out  of  one  for  their  poor ; 
men  in  my  position  know  l'  o  truth  of  the  saying 
that  we  have  that  class  of  the  population  always 
with  us.  Would  you  believe  it,  he  says  he  hasn't 
any  poor  at  all  in  his  parish  !  They're  all  well-to-do 
farmers  or  else  able-bodied  labourers,  and  his  one 
terror  is  that  somebody  will  come  and  try  to 
pauperise  them.  "  If  a  philanthropist  were  to  give 
me  fifty  pounds  to-day  for  use  at  Empingham,"  he 
said,  '■  I  assure  you,  Sir  Charles,  I  shouldn't  know 
what  to  do  with  it.  I  think  I  should  buy  new 
dresses  for  Jessie,  who  wants  them  about  as  much 
as  anybody  else  in  the  village — that  is  to  say,  not 
at  all."  There's  a  parson  for  you,  Sey,  my  boy. 
Only  wish  we  had  one  of  his  sort  at  Seldon.' 

*  He  certainly  doesn't  want  to  get  anything  out 
of  you,'  I  answered. 

That  evening  at  dinner  a  queer  little  episode 
happened.  The  man  with  the  eyebrows  began 
talking  to  me  across  the  table  in  his  usual  fashion, 
full  of  his  wearisome  concession  on  the  Upper 
Amazons.  I  was  trying  to  squash  him  as  politely 
as  possible,  when  I  caught  Amelia's  eye.  Her  look 
amused  me.     She  was  engaged  in  making  signals 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS 


35 


to  Charles  at  her  side  to  observe  the  little  curate's 
curious  sleeve-links.  I  glanced  at  them,  and  saw  at 
once  they  were  a  singular  possession  for  so  un- 
obtrusive a  person.  They  consisted  each  of  a  short 
gold  bar  for  one  arm  of  the  link,  fastened  by  a  tiny 
chain  of  the  same  material  to  what  seemed  to  my 
tolerably  experienced  eye — a  first-rate  diamond. 
Pretty  big  diamonds,  too,  and  of  remarkable  shape, 
brilliancy,  and  cutting.  In  a  moment  I  knew  what 
Amelia  meant.  She  owned  a  diamond  riviere,  said  to 
be  of  Indian  origin,  but  £hort  by  two  stones  for  the 
circumference  of  her  tolerably  ample  neck.  Now, 
she  had  long  been  wanting  two  diamonds  like  these 
to  match  her  set ;  but  owing  to  the  unusual  shape 
and  antiquated  cutting  of  her  own  gems,  she  had 
never  been  able  to  complete  the  necklet,  at  least 
without  removing  an  extravagant  amount  from  a 
much  larger  stone  of  the  first  water. 

The  Scotch  lassie's  eyes  caught  Amelia's  at  the 
same  time,  and  she  broke  into  a  pretty  smile  of 
good-humourt"d  amusement.  'Taken  in  another 
person,  Dick,  dear ! '  she  exclaimed,  in  her  breezy 
way,  turning  to  her  husband.  *  Lady  Vandrift  is 
observing  your  diamond  sleeve-links.' 

'They're  very  fine  gems,'  Amelia  observed 
incautiously.  (A  most  unwise  admission  if  she 
desired  to  buy  them.) 

But  the  pleasant  little  curate  was  too  transparently 
simple  a  soul  to  take  advantage  of  her  slip  of  judg- 
ment.    *  They  are  good  stones,'  he  replied  ;    '  very 


36 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


good  Stones — considering.  They're  not  diamonds 
at  all,  to  tell  you  the  truth.  They're  best  old- 
fashioned  Oriental  paste.  My  great-grandfather 
bought  them,  after  the  siege  of  Seringapatam,  for  a 
few  rupees,  from  a  Sepoy  who  had  looted  them  from 
Tippoo  Sultan's  palace.  He  thought,  like  you,  he 
had  got  a  good  thing.  But  it  turned  out,  when  they 
came  to  be  examined  by  experts,  they  were  only 
paste — very  wonderful  paste  ;  it  is  supposed  they 
had  even  imposed  upon  Tippoo  himself,  so  fine  is 
the  imitation.  But  they  are  worth — well,  say,  fifty 
shillings  at  the  utmost.' 

While  he  spoke  Charles  looked  at  Amelia,  and 
Amelia  looked  at  Charles.  Their  eyes  spoke 
volumes.  The  riviere  was  also  supposed  to  have 
come  from  Tippoo's  collection.  Both  drew  at  once 
an  identical  conclusion.  These  were  two  of  the 
same  stones,  very  likely  torn  apart  and  disengaged 
from  the  rest  in  the  melee  at  the  capture  of  the 
Indian  palace. 

*  Can  you  take  them  off? '  Sir  Charles  asked 
blandly.  He  spoke  in  the  tone  that  indicates 
business. 

'  Certainly,'  the  little  curate  answered,  smiling. 
'  I'm  accustomed  to  taking  them  off.  They're 
always  noticed.  They've  been  kept  in  the  family 
ever  since  the  siege,  as  a  sort  of  valueless  heirloom, 
for  the  sake  of  the  picturesqueness  of  the  story,  you 
know  ;  and  nobody  ever  sees  them  without  asking, 
as  you  do,  to  examine  them  closely.     They  deceive 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS 


37 


even  experts  at  first.  But  they're  paste,  all  the 
same  ;  unmitigated  Oriental  paste,  for  all  that' 

He  took  them  both  off,  and  handed  them  to 
Charles.  No  man  in  England  is  a  finer  judge  of 
gems  than  my  brother-in-law.  I  watched  him 
narrowly.  He  examined  them  close,  first  with  the 
naked  eye,  then  with  the  little  pocket-lens  which  he 
always  carries.  'Admirable  imitation,'  he  muttered, 
passing  them  on  to  Amelia.  *  I'm  not  surprised 
they  should  impose  upon  inexperienced  observers.' 

But  from  the  tone  in  which  he  said  it,  I  could 
see  at  once  he  had  satisfied  himself  they  were  real 
gems  of  unusual  value.  I  know  Charles's  way  of 
doing  business  so  well.  His  glance  to  Amelia 
meant,  'These  are  the  very  stones  you  have  so  long 
been  in  search  of.* 

The  Scotch  lassie  laughed  a  merry  laugh.  '  He 
sees  through  them  now,  Dick,'  she  cried.  '  I  felt 
sure  Sir  Charles  would  be  a  judge  of  diamonds.' 

Amelia  turned  them  over.  I  know  Amelia,  too ; 
and  I  knew  from  the  way  Amelia  looked  at  them 
that  she  meant  to  have  them.  And  when  Amelia 
means  to  have  anything,  people  who  stand  in  the 
way  may  just  as  well  spare  themselves  the  trouble 
of  opposing  her. 

They  were  beautiful  diamonds.  We  found  out 
afterwards  the  little  curate's  account  was  quite  correct : 
these  stones  had  come  from  the  same  necklet  as 
Amelia's  riviere^  made  for  a  favourite  wife  of  Tippoo's, 
who  had  presumably  as  expansive  personal  charms 


f 


38 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


I 


as  our  beloved  sister-in-law's.  More  perfect  diamonds 
have  seldom  been  seen.  They  have  excited  the 
universal  admiration  of  thieves  and  connoisseurs. 
Amelia  told  me  afterwards  that,  according  to  legend, 
a  Sepoy  stole  the  necklet  at  the  sack  of  the  palace, 
and  then  fought  with  another  for  it.  It  was  believed 
that  two  stones  got  spilt  in  the  scuffle,  and  were 
picked  up  and  sold  by  a  third  person — a  looker-on 
— who  had  no  idea  of  the  value  of  his  booty.  Amelia 
had  been  hunting  for  them  for  several  years  to 
complete  her  necklet. 

*  They  are  excellent  paste/  Sir  Charles  observed, 
handing  them  back.  '  It  takes  a  first-rate  judge  to 
detect  them  from  the  reality.  Lady  Vandrift  has  a 
necklet  much  the  same  in  character,  but  composed 
of  genuine  stones  ;  and  as  these  are  so  much  like 
them,  and  would  complete  her  set,  to  all  outer 
appearance,  I  wouldn't  mind  giving  you,  say,  ;^io 
for  the  pair  of  them.' 

Mrs.  Brabazon  looked  delighted.  '  Oh,  sell  them 
to  him,  Dick,'  she  cried,  '  and  buy  me  a  brooch  with 
the  money  1  A  pair  of  common  links  would  do  for 
you  just  as  well.  Ten  pounds  for  two  paste  stones  I 
It's  quite  a  lot  of  money.' 

She  said  it  so  sweetly,  with  her  pretty  Scotch 
accent,  that  I  couldn't  imagine  how  Dick  had  the 
heart  to  refuse  her.     But  he  did,  all  the  same. 

*  No,  Jess,  darling,'  he  answered.  '  They're  worth- 
less, I  know ;  but  they  have  for  me  a  certain  senti- 
mental  value,  as   I've  often  told    you.      My  dear 


! 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS 


39 


mother  wore  them,  while  she  lived,  as  ear-rings  ;  and 
as  soon  as  she  died  I  had  them  set  as  links  in  order 
that  I  might  always  keep  them  about  me.  Besides, 
they  have  historical  and  family  interest.  Even  a 
worthless  heirloom,  after  all,  is  an  heirloom.' 

Dr.  Hector  Macphcrson  looked  across  and  inter- 
vened. *  There  is  a  part  of  my  concession,'  he  said, 
'where  we  have  reason  to  believe  a  perfect  new 
Kunberley  will  soon  be  discovered.  If  at  any  time 
you  would  care.  Sir  Charles,  to  look  at  my  diamonds 
— when  I  get  them — it  would  afford  me  the  greatest 
pleasure  in  life  to  submit  them  to  your  consideration.' 

Sir  Charles  could  stand  it  no  longer.  *  Sir,'  he 
said,  gazing  across  at  him  with  his  sternest  air,  *  if 
your  concession  were  as  full  of  diamonds  as  Sindbad 
the  Sailor's  valley,  I  would  not  care  to  turn  my  head 
to  look  at  them.  I  am  acquainted  with  the  nature 
and  practice  of  salting.'  And  he  glared  at  the  man 
with  the  overhanging  eyebrows  as  if  he  would  devour 
him  raw.  Poor  Dr.  Hector  Macpherson  subsided 
instantly.  We  learnt  a  little  later  that  he  was  a 
harmless  lunatic,  who  went  about  the  world  with 
successive  concessions  for  ruby  mines  and  platinum 
reefs,  because  he  had  been  ruined  and  driven  mad 
by  speculations  in  the  two,  and  now  recouped  himself 
by  imaginary  grants  in  Burmah  and  Brazil,  or  any- 
where else  that  turned  up  handy.  And  his  eyebrows, 
after  all,  were  of  Nature's  handicraft.  We  were  sorry 
for  the  incident ;  but  a  man  in  Sir  Charles's  position 
is  such  a  mark  for  rogues  that,  if  he  did  not  take 


! 


4° 


AN  AFRICAN  ^rILL10NAIRE 


means  to  protect  himself  promptly,  he  would  be  for 
ever  overrun  by  them. 

When  wc  went  up  to  our  salon  that  evening, 
Amelia  flung  herself  on  the  sofa.  *  Charles,'  she 
broke  out  in  the  voice  of  a  tragedy  queen,  '  those  are 


CHARLES,  I  SHALL  NEVER  BE  HAPPY  AGAIN  TILL  I  GET  THEM. 

real  diamonds,  and  I  shall  never  be  happy  again  till 
I  get  them.* 

*  They  are  real  diamonds,*  Charles  echoed.  *  And 
you  shall  have  them,  Amelia.  They're  worth  not 
less  than  three  thousand  pounds.  But  I  shall  bid 
them  up  gently.'  "  - 

So,  next  day,  Charles  set  to  work  to  higgle  with 


'"    .•      i 


■  ^> 


]\ 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS 


4« 


till 

id 
lot 
lid 

th 


the  curate.  Brubazon,  however,  didn't  care  to  part 
with  them.  He  was  no  money-grubber,  he  said. 
He  cared  more  for  his  mother's  gift  and  a  family 
tradition  than  for  a  hundred  pounds,  if  Sir  Charles 
were  to  offer  it.  Charles's  eye  gleamed.  *  But  if 
I  give  you  tzvo  hundred!'  he  said  insinuatingly. 
'What  opportunities  for  good!  You  could  build  a 
new  wing  to  your  village  school-house  ! ' 

*VVe  have  ample  accommodation,'  the  curate 
answered.     *  No,  I  don't  think  I'll  sell  them.' 

Still,  his  voice  faltered  somewhat,  and  he  looked 
down  at  them  inquiringly. 

Charles  was  too  precipitate. 

*  A  hundred  pounds  more  or  less  matters  little  to 
me,'  he  said  ;  'and  my  wife  has  set  her  heart  on 
them.  It's  every  man's  duty  to  please  his  wife — 
isn't  it,  Mrs.  Brabazon  ? — I  offer  you  three  hundred.' 

The  little  Scotch  girl  clasped  her  hands. 

'  Three  hundred  pounds  I  Oh,  Dick,  just  think 
what  fun  we  could  have,  and  what  good  we  could 
do  with  it  I     Do  let  him  have  them.* 

Her  accent  was  irresistible.  But  the  curate  shook 
his  head. 

'  Impossible,'  he  answered.  '  My  dear  mother's 
ear-rings  1  Uncle  Aubrey  would  be  so  angry  if  he 
knew  I'd  sold  them.     I  daren't  face  Uncle  Aubrey.' 

'  Has  he  expectations  from  Uncle  Aubrey  ?  *  Sir 
Charles  asked  of  White  Heather. 

Mrs.  Brabazon  laughed.  '  Uncle  Aubrey  !  Oh, 
dear,  no.     Poor  dear  old  Uncle  Aubrey  1     Why,  the 


4a 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


darling  old  soul  hasn't  a  penny  to  bless  himself  with, 
except  his  pension.  lie's  a  retired  post  captain.' 
And  she  laughed  melodiously.  She  was  a  charming 
woman. 

'  Then  I  should  disregard  Uncle  Aubrey's  feelings/ 
Sir  Charles  said  decisively. 

'  No,  no,'  the  curate  answered.  '  Poor  dear  old 
Uncle  Aubrey !  I  wouldn't  do  anything  for  the 
world  to  annoy  hiju.     And  he'd  be  sure  to  notice  it' 

We  went  back  to  Amelia.  '  Well,  have  you  got 
them  ? '  she  asked. 

'  No,'  Sir  Charles  answered.  *  Not  yet.  But  he's 
coming  round,  I  think.  He's  hesitating  now.  Would 
rather  like  to  sell  them  himself,  but  is  afraid  what 
"  Uncle  Aubrey  "  would  say  about  the  matter.  His 
wife  will  talk  him  out  of  his  needless  consideration 
for  Uncle  Aubrey's  feelings ;  and  to-morrow  we'll 
finally  clench  the  bargain.* 

Next  morning  we  stayed  late  in  our  salon^  where 
we  always  breakfasted,  and  did  not  come  down  to 
the  public  rooms  till  just  before  d^JeAner,  Sir  Charles 
being  busy  with  me  over  arrears  of  correspondence. 
When  we  did  come  down  the  concierge  stepped  for- 
ward with  a  twisted  little  feminine  note  for  Amelia. 
She  took  it  and  read  it.  Her  countenance  fell. 
'  There,  Charles,'  she  cried,  handing  it  to  him,  *  you've 
let  the  chance  slip.  I  shall  never  be  happy  now! 
They've  gone  off  with  the  diamonds.' 

Charles  seized  the  note  and  read  it.  Then  he 
passed  it  on  to  me.     It  was  short,  but  final : — 


THE  EriSODK  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS 


43 


'  T/iursday,  6  a.m. 

'Dear  LadyVandrift —  Will  yon  kindly  excuse 

our  having  gone  off  hurriedly  without  bidding  you 

good-bye  ?     We  have  just  had  a  horrid  telegram  to 

say  that  Dick's  favourite  sister  is  dangerously  ill  of 


THE  CONCIERGE  STEPPED  FORWARD  WITH  A  LITTLE  NOTE   FOR  AMELIA. 


he 


fever  in  Paris.  I  wanted  to  shake  nands  with  you 
before  we  left — you  have  all  been  so  sweet  to  us — 
but  we  go  by  the  morning  train,  absurdly  early,  and 
I  wouldn't  for  worlds  disturb  you.  Perhaps  some 
day  we  may  meet  again — though,  buried  as  we  are 


I 
I 


■  { 


44 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


in  a  North-country  village,  it  isn't  likely ;  but  in  any 
case,  you  have  secured  the  grateful  recollection  of 
Yours  very  cordially,  Jessie  Brabazon. 

'  P.S. — Kindest  regards  to  Sir  Charles  and  those 
dear  Wentworths,  and  a  kiss  for  yourself,  if  I  may 
venture  to  send  you  one.' 

*  She  doesn't  even  mention  where  they've  gone,* 
Amelia  exclaimed,  in  a  \'cry  bad  humour. 

'  The  concierge  may  know,*  Isabel  suggested, 
looking  over  my  shoulder. 

We  asked  at  his  office. 

Yes,  the  gentleman's  address  was  the  Rev.  Richard 
Peploe  Brabazon,  Holme  Bush  Cottage,  Empingham, 
Northumberland. 

Any  address  where  letters  might  be  sent  al  once, 
in  Paris? 

For  the  next  ten  days,  or  till  further  notice. 
Hotel  des  Deux  Mondcs,  Avenue  de  I'Opera. 

Amelia's  mind  was  made  up  at  once. 

*  Strike  while  the  iron's  hot,*  she  cried.  '  This 
sudden  illness,  coming  at  the  end  of  their  honey- 
moon, and  involving  ten  days'  more  stay  at  an 
expensive  hotel,  will  probably  upset  the  curate's 
budget  He'll  be  glad  to  sell  now.  You'll  get  them 
for  three  hundred.  It  was  absurd  of  Charles  to  offer 
so  much  at  first ;  but  offered  once,  of  course  we  must 
stick  to  it.' 

*  What  do  you  propose  to  do  ? '  Charles  asked. 
*  Write,  or  telegraph  ? ' 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS 


45 


cr 


:d. 


*  Oh,  how  silly  men  arc  !  *  Amelia  cried.  *  Is  this 
the  sort  of  business  to  be  arranged  by  letter,  still  less 
by  telegram  ?  No.  Seymour  must  start  off  at  once, 
taking  the  night  train  to  Paris  ;  and  the  momcwt  he 
gets  there,  he  must  interview  the  curate  or  Mrs. 
Brabazon.  Mrs.  Brabazon's  the  best.  She  has  none 
of  this  stupid,  sentimental  nonsense  about  Uncle 
Aubrey.' 

It  is  no  part  of  a  secretary's  duties  to  act  as  a 
diamond  broker.  But  when  Amelia  puts  her  foot 
down,  she  puts  her  foot  down — a  fact  which  she  is 
unnecessarily  fond  of  emphasising  in  that  identical 
proposition.  So  the  self-same  evening  saw  me  safe 
in  the  train  on  my  way  to  Paris  ;  and  next  morning 
I  turned  out  of  my  comfortable  sleeping-car  at  the 
Gare  de  Strasbourg.  My  orders  were  to  bring  back 
those  diamonds,  alive  or  dead,  so  to  speak,  in  my 
pocket  to  Lucerne  ;  and  to  offer  any  needful  sum, 
up  to  two  thousand  five  hundred  pounds,  for  their 
immediate  purchase. 

When  I  arrived  at  the  Deux  Mondes  I  found  the 
poor  little  curate  and  his  wife  both  greatly  agitated. 
They  had  sat  up  all  night,  they  said,  with  their 
invalid  sister ;  and  the  sleeplessness  and  suspense 
had  certainly  told  upon  them  after  their  long  railway 
journey.  They  were  pale  and  tired,  Mrs.  Brabazon, 
in  particular,  looking  ill  and  worried — too  much  like 
White  Heather.  I  was  more  than  half  ashamed  of 
bothering  them  about  the  diamonds  at  such  a 
moment,  but   it  occurred  to  me  that  Amelia  was 


I 


I         'I 


46 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


probably  right — they  would  now  have  reached  the 
end  of  the  sum  set  apart  for  their  Continental  trip, 
and  a  little  ready  cash  might  be  far  from  unwelcome. 

I  broached  the  subject  delicately.  It  was  a  fad 
of  Lady  Vandrift's,  I  said.  She  had  set  her  heart 
upon  those  useless  trinkets.  And  she  wouldn't  go 
without  them.  She  must  and  would  have  them. 
But  the  curate  was  obdurate.  He  threw  Uncle 
Aubrey  still  in  my  teeth.  Three  hundred? — no, 
never !  A  mother's  present ;  impossible,  dear  Jessie ! 
Jessie  begged  and  prayed  ;  she  had  grown  really 
attached  to  Lady  Vandrift,  she  said  ;  but  the  curate 
wouldn't  hear  of  it.  I  went  up  tentatively  to  four 
hundred.  He  shook  his  head  gloomily.  It  wasn't 
a  question  of  money,  he  said.  It  was  a  question  of 
affection.  I  saw  it  was  no  use  trying  that  tack  any 
longer.  I  struck  out  a  new  line.  *  These  stones,'  I 
said,  *  I  think  I  ought  to  inform  you,  are  really 
diamonds.  S'f.  Charles  is  certain  of  it.  Now,  is  it 
right  for  a  man  of  your  profession  and  position  to 
be  wearing  a  pair  of  big  gems  like  those,  worth 
several  hundred  pounds,  as  ordinary  sleeve-links  ? 
A  woman  ? — yes,  I  grant  you.  But  for  a  man,  is  it 
manly  ?     And  you  a  cricketer  I ' 

He  looked  at  me  and  laughed.  'Will  nothing 
convince  you  ? '  he  cried.  *  They  have  been  examined 
and  tested  by  half  a  dozen  jewellers,  and  we  know 
them  to  be  paste.  It  wouldn't  be  right  of  me  to  sell 
them  to  you  under  false  pretences,  however  unwilling 
on  my  side.     I  couldn't  do  it.* 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS 


47 


to 
th 

? 

it 


*  Well,  then,'  I  said,  going  up  a  bit  in  my  bids  to 
meet  him,  *  I'll  put  it  like  this.  These  gems  are 
paste.  But  Lady  Vandrift  has  an  unconquerable 
and  unaccountable  desire  to  possess  them.  Money 
doesn't  matter  to  her.  She  is  a  friend  of  your  wife's. 
As  a  personal  favour,  won't  you  sell  them  to  her  for 
a  thousand  ?  * 

He  shook  his  head.  *  It  would  be  wrong,'  he 
said, — *  I  might  even  add,  criminal.' 

'  But  we  take  all  risk,'  I  cried. 

He  was  absolute  adamant.  *  As  a  clergyman,' 
he  answered,  *  I  feel  I  cannot  do  it.' 

*  Will  you  try,  Mrs.  Brabazon  ?  '  I  asked. 

The  pretty  little  Scotchwoman  leant  over  and 
whispered.  She  coaxed  and  cajoled  him.  Her  ways 
were  winsome.  I  couldn't  hear  what  she  said,  but 
he  seemed  to  give  way  at  last.  *  I  should  love  Lady 
Vandrift  to  have  them,'  she  murmured,  turning  to 
me.  '  She  is  such  a  dear ! '  And  she  took  out  the 
links  from  her  husband's  cuffs  and  handed  them 
across  to  me. 

'  How  much  ? '  I  asked. 

*  Two  thousand  ? '  she  answered,  interrogatively. 
It  was  a  big  rise,  all  at  ciice ;  but  such  are  the  ways 
of  women. 

*  Done  I '  I  replied.     *  Do  you  consent  ? ' 

The  curate  looked  up  as  if  ashamed  of  himself. 

'  I  consent,'  he  said  slowly,  'since  Jessie  wishes  it. 
But  as  a  clergyman,  and  to  prevent  any  future 
misunderstanding,  I  should   like  you   to  give  me  a 


48 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


III 


statement    in  wiiting    that    you    buy  them  on  my 
distinct  and  positive  declaration  that  they  are  made  of 
paste — old  Oriental  paste — not  genuine  stones,  and 
that  I  do  not  claim  any  other  qualities  for  them.' 
I  popped  the  gems  into  my  purse,  well  pleased. 


SHE  TOOK  OUT  THE   LINKS  FROM  HER   HUSBAND'S   CUFFS. 


*  Certainly,'  I  said,  pulling  out  a  paper.  Charles, 
with  his  unerring  business  instinct,  had  anticipated 
'.he  request,  and  given  me  a  signed  agreement  to 
that  effect. 

*  You  will  take  a  cheque  ? '  I  inquired. 
He  hesitated. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS 


49 


of 
,nd 


id 


*  Notes  of  the  Bank  of  France  would  suit  me 
better,'  he  answered. 

'  Very  well,'  I  replied.  *  I  will  go  out  and  get 
them.* 

How  very  unsuspicious  some  people  are !  He 
allowed  me  to  go  off — with  the  stones  in  my 
pocket  I 

Sir  Charles  had  given  me  a  blank  cheque,  not 
exceeding  two  thousand  five  hundred  pounds.  I 
took  it  to  our  agents  and  cashed  it  for  notes  of  the 
Bank  of  France.  The  curate  clasped  them  with 
pleasure.  And  right  glad  I  was  to  go  back  to 
Lucerne  that  night,  feeling  that  I  had  got  those 
diamonds  into  my  hands  for  about  a  thousand 
pounds  under  their  real  value  ! 

At  Lucerne  railway  station  Amelia  met  me.  She 
was  positively  agitated. 

'  Have  you  bought  them,  Seymour  ? '  she  asked. 

*  Yes,'  I  answered,  producing  my  spoils  in 
triumph. 

*  Oh,  how  dreadful ! '  she  cried,  drawing  back. 
'  Do  you  think  they're  real  ?  Are  you  sure  he  hasn't 
cheated  you  ? ' 

*  Certain  of  it,'  I  replied,  examining  them.  *  No 
one  can  take  me  in,  in  the  matter  of  diamonds.  Why 
on  earth  should  you  doubt  them  ? ' 

'Because  I've  been  talking  to  Mrs.  O'Hagan,  at 
the  hotel,  and  she  says  there's  a  well-knowa  trick 
just  like  that — she's  read  of  it  in  a  book.  A  swindler 
has  two  sets— one  real,  one  false  ;  and  he  makes  you 

£ 


so 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


buy  the  false  ones    by  showing  you   the   real,  and 
pretending  he  sells  them  as  a  special  favour.* 

'You  needn't  be  alarmed/  I  answered.     'I  am  a 
judge  of  diamonds.' 


HAVE  YOU   BOUGHT  THEM,   SEYMOUR? 

*I  shan't  be  satisfied,'  Amelia  murmured,  'till 
Charles  has  seen  them.* 

We  went  up  to  the  hotel.  For  the  first  time  in 
her  life  I  saw  Amelia  really  nervous  as  I  handed  the 


h'\ 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS 


51 


stones  to  Charles  to  examine.  Her  doubt  was  con- 
tagious. I  half  feared,  myself,  he  might  break  out 
into  a  deep  monosyllabic  interjection,  losing  his 
temper  in  haste,  as  he  often  does  when  things  go 
wrong.  But  he  looked  at  them  with  a  smile,  while 
I  told  him  the  price. 

*  Eight  hundred  pounds  less  than  their  value,'  he 
answered,  well  satisfied. 

*  You  have  no  doubt  of  their  reality  ? '  I  asked. 

*  Not  the  slightest,'  he  replied,  gazing  at  them. 
'  They  are  genuine  stones,  precisely  the  same  in  quality 
and  type  as  Amelia's  necklet' 

Amelia  drew  a  sigh  of  relief.  *  I'll  go  upstairs,' 
she  said  slowly,  *  and  bring  down  my  own  for  you  both 
to  compare  with  them.' 

One  minute  later  she  rushed  down  again,  breath- 
less. Amelia  is  far  from  slim,  and  I  never  before 
knew  her  exert  herself  so  actively. 

*  Charles,  Charles  I '  she  cried,  *  do  you  know  what 
dreadful  thing  has  happened  ?  Two  of  my  own  stones 
are  gone.  He's  stolen  a  couple  of  diamonds  from  my 
necklet,  and  sold  them  back  to  me.' 

She  held  out  the  riviere.  It  was  all  too  true. 
Two  gems  were  missing — and  these  two  just  fitted 
the  empty  places ! 

A  light  broke  in  upon  me.  I  clapped  my  hand 
to  my  head.  *  By  Jove,'  I  exclaimed,  '  the  little 
curate  is — Colonel  Clay  I ' 

Charles  clapped  his  own  hand  to  his  brow  in 
turn.     'And  Jessie,'  he  cried,  'White  Heather — that 


\    ■ 


14 


1 


u 


Sa 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


innocent  little  Scotchwoman  !  I  often  detected  a 
familiar  ring  in  her  voice,  in  spite  of  the  charming 
Highland  accent.     Jessie  is — Madame  Picardet  I ' 

We  had  absolutely  no  evidence  ;  but,  like  the 
Commissaiy  at  Nice,  we  felt  instinctively  sure  of  it. 

Sir  Charles  was  determined  to  catch  the  rogue. 
This  second  deception  put  him  on  his  mettle.  *  The 
worst  of  the  man  is,'  he  said,  *  he  has  a  method.  He 
doesn't  go  out  of  his  way  to  cheat  us  ;  he  makes  us 
go  out  of  ours  to  be  cheated.  He  lavs  a  t'ap,  and 
we  tumble  headlong  into  it.  To-morrow,  Scy,  we 
must  follow  him  on  to  Paris.* 

Amelia  explained  to  him  what  Mrs.  O'Hagan  had 
said.  Charles  took  it  all  in  at  once,  with  his  usual 
sagacity.  *  That  explains,*  he  said,  *  why  the  rascal 
used  this  particular  trick  to  draw  us  on  by.  If  we 
had  suspected  him  he  could  have  shown  the  diamonds 
were  real,  and  so  escaped  detection.  It  was  a  blind 
to  draw  us  off  from  the  fact  of  the  robbery.  He  went 
to  Paris  to  be  out  of  the  way  when  the  discovery  was 
made,  and  to  get  a  clear  day's  start  of  us.  What  a 
consummate  rogue  !     And  to  do  me  twice  running  ! ' 

*  How  did  he  get  at  my  jewel  -  case,  though  ?  * 
Amelia  exclaimed. 

•  That's  the  question,'  Charles  answered.  *  You  cfo 
leave  it  about  so  !  * 

'  And  why  didn't  he  steal  the  whole  rivtere  at  once, 
and  sell  the  gems  ? '  I  inquired. 

'Too  cunning,'  Charles  replied.  'This  was  much 
better  business.     It  isn't  easy  to   dispose  of  a  big 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS 


S3 


thinjj  like  that.  In  the  first  place,  the  stones  are 
large  and  valuable  ;  in  the  second  place,  they're  well 
known — every  dealer  has  heard  of  the  Vandrift  riviere, 
and  seen  pictures  of  the  shape  of  them.  They're 
marked  gems,  so  to  speak.  No,  he  played  a  better 
game — took  a  couple  of  them  off,  and  offered  them 
to  the  only  one  person  on  earth  who  was  likely  to  buy 
them  without  suspicion.  He  came  here,  meaning  to 
work  this  very  trick  ;  he  had  the  links  made  right  to 
the  shape  beforehand,  and  then  he  stole  the  stones 
and  slipped  them  into  their  places.  It's  a  wonderfully 
clever  trick.  Upon  my  soul,  I  almost  admire  the 
fellow.' 

For  Charles  is  a  business  man  himself,  and  can 
appreciate  business  capacity  in  others. 

How  Colonel  Clay  came  to  know  about  that 
necklet,  and  to  appropriate  two  of  the  stones,  we  only 
discovered  much  later.  I  will  not  here  anticipate 
that  disclosure.  One  thing  at  a  time  is  a  good  rule 
in  life.  For  the  moment  he  succeeded  in  baffling  us 
altogether. 

However,  we  followed  him  on  to  Paris,  telegraph- 
ing beforehand  to  the  Bank  of  France  to  stop  the 
notes.  It  was  all  in  vain.'  They  had  been  cashed 
within  half  an  hour  of  my  paying  them.  The  curate 
and  his  wife,  we  found,  quitted  the  H6tel  des 
Deux  Mondes  for  parts  unknown  that  same  after- 
noon. And,  as  usual  with  Colonel  Clay,  they  vanished 
into  space,  leaving  no  clue  behind  them.  In  other 
words,  they  changed   their  disguise,  no  doubt,  and 


54 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


:    ! 


t    i 


reappeared  somewhere  else  tlat  night  in  altered 
characters.  At  any  rate,  no  such  person  as  the 
Reverend  Richard  Pcploe  Braba.zon  was  ever  after- 
wards heard  of — and,  for  the  matter  of  that,  no  such 
village  exists  as  Empingham,  Northumberland. 

We  communicated  the  matter  to  the  Parisian 
police.  They  were  viosf  unsympathetic.  '  It  i^  no 
doubt  Colonel  Clay,'  said  the  official  whom  we  saw  ; 
'  but  you  s'-'em  to  have  little  just  ground  of  complaint 
against  him.  As  far  as  I  can  sec,  messieurs,  there  is 
not  much  to  choose  between  you.  You,  Monsieur  le 
Chev  '.Her,  desired  to  buy  diamonds  at  the  price  of 
pas*e.  You,  nindame,  feared  you  had  bought  paste 
at  the  price  of  diamonds.  You,  monsieur  the 
secretary,  tried  to  get  <;he  stones  from  an  unsuspect- 
ing person  for  half  their  value.  He  took  yor  all  in, 
that  brave  Colonel  Caoutchouc — it  was  diamond  cut 
diamond.' 

Which  was  true,  no  doubt,  but  by  no  means 
consoling. 

We  returned  to  the  Grand  Hotel.  Charles  was 
fuming  with  indignation.  *  This  is  really  too  much,' 
he  exclaimed.  *  What  an  audacious  rascal  I  But  he 
will  never  apfain  take  me  in,  my  dear  Sey.  I  only 
hope  he'll  try  it  on.  I  should  love  to  catch  him. 
I'd  know  him  another  time,  I'm  sure,  in  spite  of  his 
disguises.  It's  absurd  my  being  tricked  twice  running 
like  this.  But  never  again  while  I  live !  Never 
again,  I  declare  to  you  I ' 

*  Jamais  de  la  vie  ! '  a  courier  in  the  hall  close  by 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DIAMOND  LINKS  55 


murmured  responsive.  We  stood  under  the  verandah 
of  tlie  Grand  Hotel,  in  the  big  glass  courtyard.  And 
I  verily  believe  that  courier  was  really  Colonel  Chy 
himself  in  one  of  his  disguises. 

But   perhaps  we  were  beginning  to  suspect  him 
everywhere. 


>Ul 


;i 


III 


THE   EPISODE    OF   THE   OLD   MASTER 

Like  most  South  Africans,  Sir  Charles  Vandrift  is 
anything  but  sedentary.  He  hates  sitting  down. 
He  must  always  'trek.'  He  cannot  live  without 
moving  about  freely.  Six  weeks  in  Mayfair  at  a 
time  is  as  much  as  he  can  stand.  Then  he  must 
run  away  incontinently  for  rest  and  change  to 
Scotland,  Homburg,  Monte  Carlo,  Biarritz.  '  I  won't 
be  a  limpet  on  the  rock,'  he  says.  Thus  it  came  to 
pass  that  in  the  early  autumn  we  found  ourselves 
stopping  at  the  M^tropole  at  Brighton.  We  were 
the  accustomed  nice  little  family  party — Sir  Charles 
and  Amelia,  myself  and  Isabel,  with  the  suite  as 
usual. 

On  the  first  Sunday  morning  after  our  arrival  we 
strolled  out,  Charles  and  I — I  regret  to  say  during 
the  hours  allotted  for  Divine  service — on  to  the 
King's  Road,  to  get  a  whiff  of  fresh  air,  and  a  glimpse 
of  the  waves  that  were  churning  the  Channel.  The 
two  ladies  (with  their  bonnets)  had  gone  to  church  ; 
but  Sir.  Charles  had  risen  late,  fatigued  from  the 
week's    toil,   while   I    myself  was    suffering   from   a 


t  ' 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  MASTER 


87 


Itie 


matutinal  headache,  which  I  attributed  to  the  close 
air  in  the  billiard-room  overnight,  combined,  perhaps, 
with  the  insidious  effect  of  a  brand  of  soda-water  to 
which  I  was  little  accustomed  ;  I  had  used  it  to 
dilute  my  evening  whisky.  We  were  to  meet  our 
wives  afterwards  at  the  church  parade — an  institution 
to  which  I  believe  both  Amelia  and  Isabel  ^ttach 
even  greater  importance  than  to  the  sermon  which 
precedes  it. 

We  sat  down  on  a  glass  seat.  Charles  gazed 
inquiringly  up  and  down  the  King's  Road,  on  the 
look-out  for  a  boy  with  Sunday  papers.  At  last  one 
passed.  'Observer,'  my  brother-in-law  called  out 
laconically. 

'  Ain't  got  none,'  the  boy  answered,  brandishing 
his  bundle  in  our  faces.  '  'Ave  a  Referee  or  a  Pink 
'Un?' 

Charles,  however,  is  not  a  Refereader,  while  as  to 
the  Pink  'Un,  he  considers  it  unsuitable  for  public 
perusal  on  Sunday  morning.  It  may  be  read  indoors, 
but  in  the  open  air  its  blush  betrays  it.  So  he  shook 
his  head,  and  muttered,  '  If  you  pass  an  Observer, 
send  him  on  here  at  once  to  me.' 

A  polite  stranger  who  sat  close  to  us  turned 
round  with  a  pleasant  smile.  '  Would  you  allow  me 
to  offer  you  one  ? '  he  said,  drawing  a  copy  from  his 
pocket.  '  I  fancy  I  bought  the  last.  There's  a  run 
on  them  to-day,  you  see.  Important  news  this 
morning  from  the  Transvaal.' 

Charles  raised  his  eyebrows,  and  accepted  it,  as  I 


El    , 


58 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


thought,  just  a  trifle  grumpily.  So,  to  remove  the 
false  impression  his  surliness  might  produce  on  so 
benevolent  a  mind,  I  entered  into  conversation  with 
the  polite  stranger.  He  was  a  man  of  middle  age, 
and  medium  height,  with  a  cultivated  air,  and  a  pair 
of  gold  pince-nez ;  his  eyes  were  sharp ;  his  voice 
was  refined ;  he  dropped  into  talk  before  long  about 


WOULD  YOU  ALLOW  ME  TO  OFFER   YOU  ONE? 


distinguished  people  just  then  in  Brighton.  It  was 
clear  at  once  that  he  was  hand  in  glove  with  many 
of  the  very  best  kind.  We  compared  notes  as  to 
Nice,  Rome,  Florence,  Cairo.  Our  new  acquaintance 
had  scores  of  friends  in  common  with  us,  it  seemed  ; 
indeed,  our  circles  so  largely  coincided,  that  I 
wondered  we  had  never  happened  till  then  to  knock 
up  against  one  another. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  MASTER 


59 


'  And  Sir  Charles  Vandrift,  the  great  African 
millionaire,'  he  said  at  last,  *  do  you  know  anything 
of  him  ?  I'm  told  he's  at  present  down  here  at  the 
M6tropole.' 

I  waved  my  hand  towards  the  person  in  question. 

*  This  is  Sir  Charles  Vandrift,'  I  answered,  with 
proprietary  pride  ;  *  and  /  am  his  brother-in-law,  Mr. 
Seymour  Wentworth/ 

*  Oh,  indeed  I '  the  stranger  answered,  with  a 
curious  air  of  drawing  in  his  horns.  I  wondered 
whether  he  had  just  been  going  to  pretend  he  knew 
Sir  Charles,  or  whether  perchance  he  was  on  the 
point  of  saying  something  highly  uncomplimentary, 
and  was  glad  to  have  escaped  it 

By  this  time,  however,  Charles  laid  down  the 
paper  and  chimed  into  our  conversation.  I  could 
see  at  once  from  his  mollified  tone  that  the  news 
from  the  Transvaal  was  favourable  to  his  operations 
in  Cloetedorp  Golcondas.  He  was  therefore  in  a 
friendly  and  affable  temper.  His  whole  manner 
changed  at  once.  He  grew  polite  in  return  to  the 
polite  stranger.  Besides,  we  knew  the  man  moved 
in  the  best  society ;  he  had  acquaintances  whom 
Amelia  was  most  anxious  to  secure  for  her  *  At 
Homes '  in  May  fair — young  Faith,  the  novelist,  and 
Sir  Richard  Montrose,  the  great  Arctic  traveller. 
As  for  the  painters,  it  was  clear  that  he  was  sworn 
friends  with  the  whole  lot  of  them.  He  dined 
with  Academicians,  and  gave  weekly  breakfasts  to 
the   members    of  the    Institute.      Now,   Amelia   is 


i 


6o 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


I 


particularly  desirous  that  her  salon  should  not  be 
considered  too  exclusively  financial  and  political 
in  character :  with  a  solid  basis  of  M.P.'s  and 
millionaires,  she  loves  a  delicate  under- current  of 
literature,  art,  and  the  musical  glasses.  Our  new 
acquaintance  was  extremely  communicative  :  *  Knows 
his  place  in  society,  Sey,'  Sir  Charles  said  to  me 
afterwards,  'and  is  therefore  not  afraid  of  talking 
freely,  as  so  many  people  are  who  have  doubts  about 
their  position.'  We  exchanged  cards  before  we  rose. 
Our  new  friend's  name  turned  out  to  be  Dr.  Edward 
Polperro. 

*  In  practice  here  ? '  I  inquired,  though  his  garb 
belied  it. 

*  Oh,  not  medical,*  he  answered.  *  I  am  an  LL.D. 
don't  you  know.  I  interest  myself  in  art,  and  buy 
to  some  extent  for  the  National  Gallery.' 

The  very  man  for  Amelia's  '  At  Homes ' !  Sir 
Chc.rles  snapped  at  him  instantly.  '  I've  brought 
mj  four-in-hand  down  here  with  me,'  he  said,  in  his 
best  friendly  manner,  '  and  we  think  of  tooling  over 
to-morrow  to  Lewes.  If  you'd  care  to  take  a  seat 
I'm  sure  Lady  Vandrift  would  be  charmed  to  see  you.' 

'  You're  very  kind,'  the  Doctor  said,  '  on  so  casual 
an  introduction.      I'm  sure  I  shall  be  delighted.' 

'We  start  from  the  M^tropole  at  ten -thirty,' 
Charles  went  on. 

'  I  shall  be  there.  Good  morning  ! '  And,  with 
a  satisfied  smile,  he  rose  a'ld  left  us,  nodding. 

We  returned  to  the  lawn,  to  Amelia  and   Isabel. 


\ 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  MASTER 


6i 


U 


\ 


Our  new  friend  passed  us  once  or  twice.  Charles 
stopped  him  and  introduced  him.  Ho  was  walking 
with  two  ladies,  most  elegantly  dressed  in  rather 
peculiar  artistic  dresses.  Amelia  was  taken  at  first 
sight  by  his  manner.  *  One  could  see  at  a  glance,' 
she  said,  *  he  was  a  person  of  culture  and  of  real 
distinction.  I  wonder  whether  he  could  bring  the 
P.R.A.  to  my  Parliamentary  "At  Home "  on  Wed- 
nesday fortnight?* 

Next  day,  at  ten-thirty,  we  started  on  our  drive. 
Our  team  has  been  considered  the  best  in  Sussex. 
Charles  is  an  excellent,  though  somewhat  anxious — 
or,  might  I  say  better,  somewhat  careful  ? — whip. 
He  finds  the  management  of  two  leaders  and  two 
wheelers  fills  his  hands  for  the  moment,  both  literally 
and  figuratively,  leaving  very  little  time  for  general 
conversation.  Lady  Belleisle  of  Beacon  broomed 
beside  him  on  the  box  (her  bloom  is  perennial,  and 
applied  by  her  maid)  ;  Dr.  Polperro  occupied  the 
seat  just  behind  with  myself  and  Amelia.  The 
Doctor  talked  most  of  the  time  to  Lady  Vandrift : 
his  discourse  was  of  picture-galleries,  which  Amelia 
detests,  but  in  which  she  thinks  it  incumbent  upon 
her,  as  Sir  Charles's  wife,  to  affect  now  and  then  a 
cultivated  interest.  Noblesse  oblige;  and  the  walls 
of  Castle  Seldon,  our  place  in  Ross-shire,  arc  almost 
covered  now  with  Leaders  and  with  Orchardsons. 
This  result  was  first  arrived  at  by  a  singular  accident. 
Sir  Charles  wanted  a  leader — for  his  coach,  you 
understand — and  told  an  artistic  friend   so.      The 


r.  i 


63 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


artistic  friend  brought  him  a  Leader  next  week  with 
a  capital  L ;  and  Sir  Charles  was  so  taken  aback 
that  he  felt  ashamed  to  confess  the  error.  So  he 
was  turned  unawares  into  a  patron  of  painting. 

Dr.  Polperro,  in  spite  of  his  too  pronouncedly 
artistic  talk,  proved  on  closer  view  a  most  agreeable 
companion.  He  diversified  his  art  cleverly  with 
anecdotes  and  scandals ;  he  told  us  exactly  which 
famous  painters  had  married  their  cooks,  and  which 
had  only  married  their  models  ;  and  otherwise 
showed  himself  a  most  diverting  talker.  Among 
other  things,  however,  he  happened  to  mention  once 
that  he  had  recently  discovered  a  genuine  Rembrandt 
— a  quite  undoubted  Rembrandt,  which  had  remained 
for  years  in  the  keeping  of  a  certain  obscure  Dutch 
family.  It  had  always  been  allowed  to  be  a  master- 
piece of  the  painter,  but  it  had  seldom  been  seen 
for  the  last  half- century  save  by  a  few  intimate 
acquaintances.  It  was  a  portrait  of  one  Maria 
Vanrenen  of  Haarlem,  and  he  had  bought  it  of  her 
descendants  at  Gouda,  in  Holland. 

I  saw  Charles  prick  up  his  ears,  though  he  took 
no  open  notice.  This  Maria  Vanrenen,  as  it 
happened,  was  a  remote  collateral  ancestress  of  the 
Vandrifts,  before  they  emigrated  to  the  Cape  in 
1780  ;  and  the  existence  of  the  portrait,  though  not 
its  whereabouts,  was  well  known  in  the  iamily. 
Isabel  had  often  mentioned  it.  If  it  was  to  be  had 
at  anything  like  a  reasonable  price,  it  would  be  a 
splendid  thing  for  the  boys  (Sir  Charles,  I  ought  to 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  0;.D  MASTER 


63 


say,  has  two  sons  at  Eton)  to  possess  an  undoubted 
portrait  of  an  ancestress  by  Rembrandt. 

Dr.  Polperro  talked  a  good  deal  after  that  about 
this  valuable  find.  He  had  tried  to  sell  it  at  first 
to  the  National  Gallery  ;  but  though  the  Directors 
admired  the  work  immensely,  and  admitted  its 
genuineness,  they  regretted  that  the  funds  at  their 
disposal  this  year  did  not  permit  them  to  acquire 
so  important  a  canvas  at  a  proper  figure.  South 
Kensington  again  was  too  poor  ;  but  the  Doctor  was 
in  treaty  at  present  with  the  Louvre  and  with 
Berlin.  Still,  it  was  a  pity  a  fine  work  of  art  like 
that,  once  brought  i-ito  the  country,  should  be 
allowed  to  go  out  cf  it.  Some  patriotic  patron  of 
the  fine  arts  ought  to  buy  it  for  his  own  house,  or 
else  munificently  present  it  to  the  nation. 

All  the  time  Charles  said  nothing.  But  I  could 
feel  him  cogitating.  He  even  looked  behind  him 
once,  near  a  difficult  corner  (while  the  guard  was 
actually  engaged  in  tootling  his  horn  to  let  passers-by 
know  that  the  coach  was  coming),  and  gave  Amelia 
a  warning  glance  to  say  nothing  committing,  which 
had  at  once  the  requisite  effect  of  sealing  her  mouth 
for  the  moment.  It  is  a  very  unusual  thing  for 
Charles  to  look  back  while  driving.  I  gathered 
from  his  doing  so  that  he  was  inordinately  anxious 
to  possess  this  Rembrandt. 

When  we  arrived  at  Lewes  we  put  up  our 
horses  at  the  inn,  and  Charles  ordered  a  lunch  on 
his  wonted  scale  of  princely  magnificence.     Mean- 


64 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


11 


-! 


while  we  wandered,  two  and  two,  about  the  town 
and  castle.  I  annexed  Lady  Belleislc,  who  is  at 
least  amusing.  Charles  drew  me  aside  before 
starting.  '  Look  here,  Sey,'  he  said,  '  we  must  be 
very  careful.  This  man,  Polperro,  is  a  chance 
acquaintance.  There's  nothing  an  astute-  rogue  can 
take  one  in  over  more  easily  than  an  Old  Master 
If  the  Rembrandt  is  genuine  I  ought  to  have  it ;  if 
it  really  represents  Maria  Vanrenen,  it's  a  duty  I  owe 
to  the  boys  to  buy  it.  But  I've  been  done  twice 
lately,  and  I  won't  be  done  a  third  time.  We  must 
go  to  work  cautiously.* 

'  You  are  right,'  I  answered.  *  No  more  seers  and 
curates  I ' 

'  If  this  man's  an  impostor,'  Charles  went  on — 
'  and  in  spite  of  what  he  says  about  the  National 
Gallery  and  so  forth,  we  know  nothing  of  him — tlie 
story  he  tells  is  just  the  sort  of  one  such  a  fellow 
would  trump  up  in  a  moment  to  deceive  me.  He 
could  easily  learn  who  I  was — I'm  a  well-known 
fifTure ;  he  knew  I  was  in  Brighton,  and  he  may 
have  been  sitting  on  that  glass  seat  on  Sunday  on 
purpose  to  entrap  me.* 

'  He  introduced  your  name,'  I  said,  *  and  the 
moment  he  found  out  who  I  was  he  plunged  into 
talk  with  me.' 

*  Yes,'  Charles  continued.  '  He  may  have  learned 
about  the  portrait  of  Maria  Vanrenen,  which  my 
grandmother  always  said  was  preserved  at  Gouda ; 
and,  indeed,  I  myself  have  often  mentioned  it,  as  you 


I 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  MASTER 


65 


^{ 


doubtless  remember.  If  so,  what  more  natural,  say, 
for  a  rogue  than  tc  begin  talkinij  about  the  portrait 
in  that  innocent  way  to  Amelia  ?  If  he  wants  a 
Rembrandt,  I  believe  they  can  be  turned  out  to 
order  to  any  amount  in  Birmingham.  The  moral  of 
all  which  is,  it  behoves  us  to  be  careful.' 

*  Right  you  are,'  I  answered  ;  '  and  I  am  keeping 
my  eye  upon  him.' 

We  drove  back  by  another  road,  overshadowed 
by  beech-trees  in  autumnal  gold.  It  was  a  delight- 
ful excursion.  Dr.  Polperro's  heart  was  elated  by 
lunch  and  the  excellent  dry  Monopole.  He  talked 
air^azingly.  I  never  heard  a  man  with  a  greater  or 
more  varied  flow  of  anecdote.  He  had  been  every- 
where and  knew  all  about  everybody.  Amelia 
booked  him  at  once  for  her  '  At  Home '  on 
Wednesday  week,  and  he  promised  to  introduce 
her  to  several  artistic  and  literary  celebrities. 

That  evening,  however,  about  half- past  seven, 
Charles  and  I  strolled  out  together  on  the  King's 
Road  for  a  blow  before  dinner.  We  dine  at  eight. 
The  air  was  delicious.  We  passed  a  small  new 
hotel,  very  smart  and  exclusive,  with  a  big  bow 
window.  There,  in  evening  dress,  lights  burning  and 
blind  up,  sat  our  friend,  Dr.  Polperro,  with  a  lady 
facing  him,  young,  graceful,  and  pretty.  A  bottle  of 
champagne  stood  open  before  him.  He  was  helping 
himself  plentifully  to  hot-house  grapes,  and  full  of 
good  humour.  It  was  clear  he  and  the  lady  were 
occupied  in  the  intense  enjoyment  of  some  capital 


66 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


joke  ;  for  they  looked  quccrly  at  one  another,  and 
burst  now  and  again  into  merry  peals  of  laughter. 

I  drew  back.  S<^  did  ^/^r  Charles.  One  idea 
^jassed  at  once  th;  vntv',  'joth  our  minds.  I 
murmured,  'Colonel  ^iiv^  He  answered,  'And 
Madame  Picardet  1 ' 


THERE   SAT  OUR    FRIEND,    DR.    POLPERRO. 

They  were  not  in  the  least  like  the  Reverend 
Richard  and  Mrs.  Brabazon.  But  that  clinched  the 
matter.  Nor  did  I  see  a  sign  of  the  aquiline  nose 
of  the  Mexican  Seer.  Still,  h  had  learnt  by  then  to 
discount  appearances.  If  these  were  indeed  the 
famous  sharper  and  his  wife  or  accomplice,  we  must 
be  very  careful.  We  were  forewarned  this  time. 
Supposing  he  had  the  audacity  to  try  a  third  trick 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  MASTER 


of  the  sort  upon  us  we  had  him  under  our  thumbs. 
Only,  we  must  take  steps  to  prevent  his  dexterously 
slipping  through  our  fingers. 

*  He  can  wriggle  like  an  eel,'  said  the  Commissary 
at  Nice.  We  both  recalled  those  words,  and  laid  our 
plans  deep  to  prevent  the  man's  wriggling  away  from 
us  on  this  third  occasion. 

'  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Sey,'  my  brother-in-law 
said,  with  impressive  slowness.  *  This  time  we 
must  deliberately  lay  ourselves  out  to  be  swindled. 
We  must  propose  of  our  own  accord  to  buy  the 
picture,  maki''^  him  guarantee  it  in  writing  as  a 
genuine  Rembrandt,  and  taking  care  to  lie  him 
down  by  most  stringent  conditions.  But  we  must 
seem  at  the  same  time  to  be  unsuspicious  and 
innocent  as  babes  ;  we  must  swallow  whole  whatever 
lies  he  tells  us  ;  pay  his  price — nominally — by  cheque 
for  the  portrait  ;  and  then,  arrest  him  the  moment 
the  bargain  is  complete,  with  the  proofs  of  his  guilt 
then  and  there  upon  him.  Of  course,  what  he'll  try 
to  do  will  be  to  vanish  into  thin  air  at  once,  as  he 
did  at  Nice  and  Paris  ;  but,  this  time,  we'll  have  the 
police  in  waiting  and  everything  ready.  We'll  avoid 
precipitancy,  but  we'll  avoid  delay  too.  We  must  hold 
our  hands  off  till  he's  actually  accepted  and  pocketed 
the  money  ;  and  then,  we  must  nab  him  instantly, 
and  walk  him  off  to  the  local  Bow  Street.  That's 
my  plan  of  campaign.  Meanwhile,  we  should  appear 
all  trustful  innocence  and  confiding  guilelessness.' 

In  pursuance  of  this  well-laid  scheme,  we  called 


(fl 


68 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


1 

r 


next  day  on  Dr.  Polpcrro  at  his  hotel,  and  were 
introduced  to  his  wife,  a  dainty  Httlc  woman,  in 
whom  we  affected  not  to  recognise  that  arch  Madame 
Picardet  or  that  simple  White  Heather.  The  Doctor 
talked  charmingly  (as  usual)  about  art — what  a  well- 
informed  rascal  he  was,  to  be  sure! — and  Sir  Charles 
e::pressed  some  interest  in  the  supposed  Rembrandt. 
Our  new  friend  was  delighted  ;  we  could  see  by  his 
well-suppressed  eagerness  of  tone  that  he  knew  us 
at  once  for  probable  purchasers.  He  would  run  up 
to  town  next  day,  he  said,  and  bring  down  the 
portrait.  And  in  effect,  when  Charles  and  I  took 
our  wonted  places  in  the  Pullman  next  morning,  on 
our  way  up  to  the  half-yearly  meeting  of  Cloetcdorp 
Golcondas,  there  was  our  Doctor,  leaning  back  in  his 
arm-chair  as  if  the  car  belonged  to  him.  Charles 
gave  me  an  expressive  look.  '  Does  it  in  style,'  he 
whispered,  '  doesn't  he  ?  Takes  it  out  of  my  five 
thousand  ;  or  discounts  the  amount  he  means  to 
chouse  me  of  with  his  spurious  Rembrandt.' 

Arrived  in  town,  we  went  to  work  at  once.  We 
set  a  private  detective  from  Marvillier's  to  watch  our 
friend  ;  and  from  him  we  learned  that  the  so-called 
Doctor  dropped  in  for  a  picture  that  day  at  a  dealer's 
in  the  West -end  (I  suppress  the  name,  having  a 
judicious  fear  of  the  law  of  libel  ever  before  my 
eyes),  a  dealer  who  was  known  to  be  mixed  up 
before  then  in  several  shady  or  disreputable  transac- 
tions. Though,  to  be  sure,  my  experience  has  been 
that  picture  dealers  are — picture  dealers.       Horses 


TIIH  Kl'ISODE  OK  TIIIC  OLD  MASTKR 


69 


rank  first  in  my  mind  as  begetters  and  producers  ol 
unscrupulous  agents,  but  pictures  run  them  a  very- 
good  second.  An}'ho\v,  wc  found  viut  that  our 
distinguished  art-critic  picked  up  his  Rembrandt  at 
this  dealer's  shop,  and  came  down  with  it  in  his  care 
the  same  niglit  to  Brighton. 


IN   HIS  JUDGMENT,    IT   WAS   NOT    A   REMBRANDT   AT    ALL. 


In  order  not  to  act  precipitately,  and  so  ruin  our 
plans,  we  induced  Dr.  Polpcrro  (what  a  cleverly 
chosen  name !)  to  bring  the  Rembrandt  round  to 
the  Metropole  for  our  inspection,  and  to  leave  it 
with  us  while  we  got  the  opinion  of  an  expert  from 
London. 

The  expert  came  down,  and  gave  us  a  full  report 
upon   the  alleged   Old   Master.      In  his  judgment,  it 


f 


70 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


I 


: 


was  not  a  Rembrandt  at  all,  but  a  cunningly-painted 
and  wcll-bcgrimcd  modern  Dutch  imitation.  More- 
over, he  showed  us  by  documentary  evidence  that 
the  real  portrait  of  Maria  Vanrenen  had,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  been  brought  to  England  five  years  before, 
and  sold  to  Sir  J.  H.  Tomlinson,  the  well-known 
connoisseur,  for  eight  thousand  pounds.  Dr.  Polperro's 
picture  was,  therefore,  at  best  either  a  replica  by  Rem- 
brandt ;  or  else,  more  probably,  a  copy  by  a  pupil ; 
or,  most  likely  of  all,  a  mere  modern  forgery. 

We  were  thus  well  prepared  to  fasten  our  charge 
of  criminal  conspiracy  upon  the  self-styled  Doctor. 
But  in  order  to  make  assurance  still  more  certain, 
we  threw  out  vague  hints  to  him  that  the  portrait  of 
Maria  Vanrenen  might  really  be  elsewhere,  and  even 
suggested  in  his  hearing  that  it  might  not  improbably 
have  got  into  the  hands  of  that  omnivorous  collector. 
Sir  J.  H.  Tomlinson.  But  the  vendor  was  proof 
against  all  such  attempts  to  decry  his  goods.  He 
had  the  effrontery  to  brush  away  the  documentary 
evidence,  and  to  declare  that  Sir  J.  H.  Tomlinson 
(one  of  the  most  learned  and  astute  picture-buyers 
in  England)  had  been  smartly  imposed  upon  by  a 
needy  Dutch  artist  with  a  talent  for  forgery.  The 
real  Maria  Vanrenen,  he  declared  and  swore,  was 
the  one  he  offered  us.  *  Success  has  turned  the 
man's  head,*  Charles  said  to  me,  well  pleased.  *  He 
thinks  we  will  swallow  any  obvious  lie  he  chooses  to 
palm  off  upon  us.  But  the  bucket  has  cofne  once  too 
often  to  the  well.     This  time  we  checkmate  him.*     It 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  MASTER 


71 


was  a  mixed   metaphor,  I  admit  ;   but  Sir  Charles's 
tropes  arc  not  always  entirely  superior  to  criticism. 

So  \vc  pretended  to  believe  our  man,  and  accepted 
his  assurances.  Next  came  the  question  of  price. 
This  was  warmly  debated,  for  form's  sake  only. 
Sir  J.  II.  Ton^linson  had  paid  eight  thousand  for  his 
genuine  Maria.  The  Doctor  demanded  ten  thousand 
for  his  spurious  one.  There  was  really  no  reason 
why  we  should  higgle  and  dispute,  for  Charles  meant 
merely  to  give  his  cheque  for  the  sum  and  then  arrest 
the  fellow ;  but,  still,  we  thought  it  best  for  the 
avoidance  of  suspicion  to  make  a  show  of  resistance  ; 
and  we  at  last  beat  him  down  to  nine  thousand  guineas. 
For  this  amount  he  was  to  give  us  a  written  warranty 
that  the  work  he  sold  us  was  a  genuine  Rembrandt,  that 
it  represented  Maria  Vanrcnen  of  Haarlem,  and  that 
he  had  bought  it  direct,  without  doubt  or  question,  from 
that  good  lady's  descendants  at  Gouda,  in  Holland. 

It  was  capitally  done.  We  arranged  the  thing 
to  perfection.  We  had  a  constable  in  waiting  in 
our  rooms  at  the  M^-tropole,  and  we  settled  that  Dr. 
Polperro  was  to  call  at  the  hotel  at  a  certain  fixed 
hour  to  sign  the  warranty  and  receive  his  money. 
A  regular  agreetr  nt  on  sound  stamped  paper  was 
drawn  out  between  us.  At  the  appointed  time  the 
'party  of  the  first  pa.t'  came,  having  already  given 
us  over  possession  of  the  portrait.  Charles  drew  a 
cheque  for  the  amount  agreed  upon,  and  signed  it. 
Then  he  handed  it  to  the  Doctor.  Polperro  just 
clutched  at  it.     Meanwhile,  I  took  up  my  post  by 


1 1 


73 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


'«| 


;     i 


the  door,  while  two  men  in  plain  clothes,  detectives 
from  the  police-station,  stood  as  men-servants  and 
watched  the  windows.  We  feared  lest  the  impostor, 
once  he  had  got  the  cheque,  should  dodge  us  some- 
how, as  he  had  already  done  at  Nice  and  in  Paris. 
The  moment  he  had  pocketed  his  money  with  a 
smile  of  triumph,  I  advanced  to  him  rapidly.  I  had 
in  my  possession  a  pair  of  handcuffs.  Before  he 
knew  what  was  happsning,  I  had  slipped  them  on  his 
wrists  and  secured  them  dexterously,  while  the  con- 
stable stepped  foward.  *  We  have  got  you  this  time  ! ' 
I  cried.  *  We  know  who  you  are.  Dr.  Polperro. 
You  are — Colonel  Clay,  alias  Senor  Antonio  Herrera, 
alias  the  Reverend  Richard  Peploe  Brabazon.' 

I  never  sav/  any  man  so  astonished  in  my  life ! 
He  was  utterly  flabbergasted.  Charles  thought  he  must 
have  expected  to  get  clear  away  at  once,  and  that  this 
prompt  action  on  our  part  had  taken  the  fellow  so  much 
by  surprise  as  to  simply  unman  him.  He  gazed  about 
him  as  if  he  hardly  realised  what  was  happening. 

*  Are  these  two  raving  maniacs  ? '  he  asked  at 
last,  *or  what  do  they  mean  by  this  nonsensical 
gibberish  about  Antonio  Herrera  ? ' 

The  constable  laid  his  hand  on  the  prisoner's 
shoulder. 

'  It's  all  right,  my  man,'  he  said.  *  We've  got 
warrants  out  against  you,  I  arrest  you,  Edward 
Polperro,  alias  the  Reverend  Richard  Peploe 
Brabazon,  on  a  charge  of  obtaining  money  under 
false  pretences  from  Sir  Charles  Vandrift,  K.C.M,G., 


'■  it 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  MASTER 


73 


M.P.,  on  his  sworn  information,  now  here  subscribed 
to.'  For  Charles  had  had  the  thing  drawn  out  in 
readiness  beforehand. 

Our    prisoner    drew    himself   up.       '  Look    here, 


it's  all.  right,  my  man,  he  said. 


officer,'  he  said,  in  an  offended  tone,  *  there's  some 
mistake  here  in  this  matter.  I  have  never  given  an 
alias  at  any  time  in  my  life.  How  do  you  know' 
this  is  really  Sir  Charles  Vandrift?  It  maybe  a 
case  of  bullying  personation.  My  belief  is,  though, 
they're  a  pair  of  escaped  lunatics.' 


74 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


'  We'll  see  about  that  to-morrow/ the  constable  said, 
collaring  him.  'At  present  you've  got  to  go  off  with 
me  quietly  to  the  station,  where  these  gentlemen 
will  enter  up  the  charge  against  you.' 

They  carried  him  off,  protesting.  Charles  and  I 
signed  the  charge-sheet ;  and  the  ofificer  locked  him 
up  to  await  his  examination  next  day  before  the 
magistrate. 

We  were  half  afraid  even  now  the  fellow  would 
manage  somehow  to  get  out  on  bail  and  give  us  the 
slip  in  spite  of  everything  ;  and,  indeed,  he  protested 
in  the  most  violent  manner  against  the  treatment 
to  which  we  were  subjecting  'a  gentleman  in  his 
position.'  But  Charles  took  care  to  tell  the  police 
it  was  all  right ;  that  he  was  a  dangerous  and 
peculiarly  slippery  criminal,  and  that  on  no  account 
must  they  let  him  go  on  any  pretext  whatever, 
till  he  had  been  properly  examined  before  the 
magii-'trates. 

We  learned  at  the  hotel  that  night,  curiously 
enough,  that  there  really  was  a  Dr.  Polperro,  a 
distinguished  art  critic,  whose  name,  we  didn't  doubt, 
our  impostor  had  been  assuming. 

Next  morning,  when  we  reached  the  court,  an 
inspector  met  us  with  a  very  long  face.  '  Look 
here,  gentlemen,*  he  said,  *  I'm  afraid  you've  com- 
mitted a  very  serious  blunder.  You've  made  a 
precious  bad  mess  of  it.  You've  got  yourselves  into 
a  scrape  ;  and,  what's  worse,  you've  got  us  into  one 
also.     You  were  a  deal   too  smart  with  your  sworn 


ft 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  MASTER 


75 


y 

a 


information.  We've  n^.de  inquiries  about  this 
gentleman,  and  we  find  the  account  he  gives  of 
himself  is  perfectly  correct.  His  name  is  Polperro  ; 
he's  a  well-known  art  critic  and  collector  of  pictures, 
employed  abroad  by  the  National  Gallery.  He  was 
formerly  an  official  in  the  South  Kensington 
Museum,  and  he's  a  C.B.  and  LL.D.,  very  highly 
respected.  You've  made  a  sad  mistake,  that's  where 
it  is  ;  and  you'll  probably  have  to  answer  a  charge  of 
false  imprisonment,  in  which  I'm  afraid  you  have 
also  involved  our  own  department' 

Charles  gasped  with  horror.  *  You  haven't  let 
him  out,'  he  cried,  *  on  those  absurd  representations  ? 
You  haven't  let  him  slip  through  your  hands  as  you 
did  that  murderer  fellow  ? ' 

*  Let  him  slip  through  our  hands  } '  the  inspector 
cried.  *  I  only  wish  he  would.  There's  no  chance 
of  that,  unfortunately.  He's  in  the  court  there,  this 
moment,  breathing  out  fire  and  slaughter  against 
you  both  ;  and  we're  here  to  protect  you  if  he  should 
happen  to  fall  upon  you.  He's  been  locked  up  all 
nig^ht  on  your  mistaken  affidavits,  and,  naturally 
enough,  he's  mad  with  anger.' 

*  If  you  haven't  let  him  go,  I'm  satisfied,'  Charles 
answered.  '  He's  a  fox  for  cunning.  Where  is  he? 
Let  me  see  him.' 

We  went  into  the  court.  There  we  saw  our 
prisoner  tonversing  amicably,  in  the  most  excited 
way,  with  the  magistrate  (who,  it  seems,  was  a 
persofial    fiicnd   of  his) ;  and   Charles  at  once  went 


™#  — *" 


If 


; 


76 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


up  and  spoke  to  them.  Dr.  Polperro  turned  round 
and  glared  at  him  through  his  pince-nez. 

*  The  only  possible  explanation  of  this  person's 
extraordinary  and  incredible  conduct,'  he  said,  '  is, 
that  he  must  be  mad — and  his  secretary  equally  so. 
He  made  my  acquaintance,  unasked,  on  a  glass  seat 
on  the  King's  Road  ;  invited  me  to  go  on  his  coac'i 
to  Lewes  ;  volunteered  to  buy  a  valuable  picture  of 
me  ;  and  then,  at  the  last  moment,  unaccountably 
gave  me  in  charge  on  this  silly  and  preposterous 
trumped-up  accusation.  I  demand  a  summons  for 
false  imprisonment' 

Suddenly  it  began  to  dawn  upon  us  that  the 
tables  were  turned.  By  degrees  it  came  out  that  we 
had  made  a  mistake.  Dr.  Polperro  was  really  the 
person  he  represented  himself  to  be,  and  had  been 
always.  His  picture,  we  found  out,  was  the  real 
Maria  Vanrenen,  and  a  genuine  R-.-LMandt,  which  he 
had  merely  deposited  for  cleaning  -irid  restoring  at 
the  suspicious  dealer's.  Sir  J.  !^.  Tomlinson  h  vd  been 
imposed  upon  and  cheated  by  a  cunning  Dutchman  ; 
his  picture,  though  also  an  undoubted  Rembrandt, 
was  not  the  Maria,  and  was  an  inferior  specimen  in 
bad  preservation.  The  authority  we  had  consulted 
turned  out  to  be  an  ignorant,  self-sufficient  quack. 
The  Maria,  moreover,  was  valued  by  other  experts  at 
no  more  than  five  or  six  thousand  guineas.  Charles 
-'/anted  to  cry  off  his  bargain,  but  Dr.  Polperro 
nacuraliV  woi'lt'n't  liear  of  ii,  The  agreement  was  a 
legally    binding    instrunjpfit^    and    what    passed     in 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  MASTER 


77 


Charles's  mind  at  the  moment  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  written  contract.  Our  adversary  only 
consented  to  forego  the  action  for  false  imprisonment 
on  condition  that  Charles  inserted  a  printed  apology 
in  the  Times,  and  paid  him  five  hundred  pounds 
compensation  for  damage  to  character.  So  that  was 
the  end  of  our  well-planned  attempt  to  arrest  the 
swindler. 

Not  quite  the  end,  however  ;  for,  of  course,  after 
this,  the  whole  affair  got  by  degrees  into  the  papers. 
Dr.  Polperro,  who  was  a  familiar  person  in  literary 
and  artistic  society,  as  it  turned  out,  brought  an 
action  against  the  so-called  expert  who  had  declared 
against  the  genuineness  of  his  alleged  Rembrandt, 
and  convicted  him  of  the  grossest  ignorance  and 
misstatement.  Then  paragraphs  got  about.  The 
World  showed  us  up  in  a  sarcastic  article ;  and 
Truth,  which  has  always  been  terribly  severe  upon 
Sir  Charles  and  all  the  other  South  Africans,  had  a 
pungent  set  of  verses  on  '  High  Art  in  Kimberley.' 
By  this  r.'eans,  as  we  suppose,  the  affair  became 
known  to  Colonel  Clay  himself;  for  a  week  or  two 
later  my  brother-in-law  received  a  cheerful  little  note 
on  scented  paper  from  our  persistent  sharper.  It 
was  couched  in  these  terms  :— - 

'  Oh,  you  innocent  infant  I 

*  Bless  your  ingenuous  little  heart !  And  did  it 
believe,  then,  it  had  positively  caught  the  redoubt- 
able colonel?  And  had  it  ready  a  nice  little  pinch 
of  salt  to   put  upon  his  tail?     And  is  it  true  its 


r:1^,4'>fi.^,f^:-'Vj,\ 


i 


78 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


respected  name  is  Sir  Simple  Simon  ?  How  heartily 
we  have  laughed,  White  Heather  and  I,  at  your 
neat  little  ruses !      It  would  pay  you,  by  the  way, 


A   CHEERFUL   LITTLE   NOTE. 


to  take  White  Heather  into  your  house  for  six 
months  to  instruct  you  in  the  agreeable  sport  of 
amateur   detectives.      Your   charming    malvete    quite 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  MASTER 


79 


moves  our  envy.  So  you  actually  imagined  a  man 
of  my  brains  would  condescend  to  anything  so  flat 
and  stale  as  the  silly  and  threadbare  Old  Master 
deception !  And  this  in  the  so-called  nineteenth 
century  !  0  saucta  siviplicitas  !  When  again  shall 
such  infantile  transparency  be  mine?  When,  ah, 
when  ?  But  never  mind,  dear  friend.  Though  you 
didn't  catch  me,  we  shall  meet  before  long  at  some 
delightful  Philippi. 

*  Yours,  with  the  profoundest  respect  and  grati- 
tude, 

'Antonio  Herrera, 
*  Otherwise  RICHARD  Peploe  Brabazon  ' 

Charles  laid  down  the  letter  with  a  deep-drawn 
sigh.  '  Sey,  my  boy,*  he  mused  aloud,  *  no  fortune 
on  earth — not  even  mine — can  go  on  standing  it. 
These  perpetual  drains  begin  really  to  terrify  me. 
I  foresee  the  end.  I  shall  die  in  a  workhouse. 
What  with  the  money  he  robs  me  of  when  he  is 
Colonel  Clay,  and  the  money  I  waste  upon  him 
when  he  isn't  Colonel  Clay,  the  man  is  beginning  to 
tell  upon  my  nervous  system.  I  shall  withdraw 
altogether  from  this  worrying  life,  I  shall  retire 
from  a  scheming  and  polluted  world  to  some 
untainted  spot  in  the  fresh,  pure  mountains,' 

'  You  must  need  rest  and  change,'  I  said,  *  when 
you  talk  like  that.     Let  us  try  the  Tyrol.' 


i 


IV 


THE   EPISODE   OF   THE   TYROLEAN   CASTLE 

We  went  to  Meran.  The  place  was  practically 
decided  for  us  by  Amelia's  French  maid,  who  really 
acts  on  such  occasions  as  our  guide  and  courier. 

She  is  such  a  clever  girl,  is  Amelia's  French 
maid.  Whenever  we  are  going  anywhere,  Amelia 
generally  asks  (and  accepts)  her  advice  as  to  choice 
of  hotels  and  furnished  villas.  Ccsarine  has  been 
all  over  the  Continent  in  her  time ;  and,  being 
Alsatian  by  b'ltli,  she  of  course  speaks  German  as 
well  as  she  speaks  French,  while  her  long  residence 
with  Amelia  has  made  her  at  last  almost  equally  at 
home  in  our  native  English.  She  is  a  treasure,  that 
girl  ;  so  neat  and  dexterous,  and  not  above  dabbling 
in  anything  on  earth  she  may  be  asked  to  turn  her 
hand  to.  She  walks  the  world  with  a  needle-case 
in  one  hand  and  an  etna  in  the  other.  She  can 
cook  an  omelette  on  occasion,  or  drive  a  Norwegian 
cariole  ;  she  can  sew,  and  knit,  and  make  dresses, 
and  cure  a  cold,  and  do  anything  else  on  earth  you 
ask  her.  Her  salads  are  the  most  savoury  I  ever 
tasted  ;  while  as  for  her  coffee  (which  she  prepares 


i 


lii 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  TYROLEAN  CASTLE 


8x 


i 


\f 


for  us  in  the  train  on  long  journeys),  there  isn't  a 
chef  de  cuisine  at  a  West-end  club  to  be  named  in 
the  same  day  with  her. 

So,  when  Amelia  said,  in  her  imperious  way^ 
*  C^sarine,  we  want  to  go  to  the  Tyrol — now — at 
once — in  mid-October  ;  where  do  you  advise  us  to 
put  up?' — Cesarinc  answered,  like  a  shot,  'The 
Erzherzog  Johann,  of  course,  at  Meran,  for  the 
autumn,  madamc.' 

'  Is  he  ...  an  archduke  ? '  Amelia  asked,  a  little 
staggered  at  such  apparent  familiarity  with  Imperial 
personages. 

'  Mafoi  !  no,  madamc.  He  is  an  hotel — as  you 
would  say  in  England,  the  "  Victoria  "  or  the  "  Prince 
of  Wales's " — the  most  comfortable  hotel  in  all 
South  Tyrol  ;  and  at  this  time  of  year,  naturally, 
you  must  go  beyond  the  Alps  ;  it  begins  already  to 
be  cold  at  Innsbruck.' 

So  to  Meran  we  went  ;  and  a  prettier  or  more 
picturesque  place,  I  confess,  I  have  seldom  set  eyes 
on.  A  rushing  torrent ;  hi[;h  hills  and  mountain 
peaks ;  terraced  vineyard  slopes  ;  old  walls  and 
towers  ;  quaint,  arcaded  streets  ;  a  craggy  waterfall  ; 
a  promenade  after  the  fashion  of  a  German  Spa  ; 
and  when  you  lift  your  eyes  from  the  ground,  jagged 
summits  of  Dolomites  :  it  was  a  combination  such 
as  I  had  never  before  beheld  ;  a  Rhine  town  plumped 
down  among  green  Alpine  heights,  and  threaded  by 
the  cool  colonnades  of  Italy. 

I     approved     Cesarine's     choice ;     and     I     was 

G 


8a 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


particularl)'  i;lad  she  had  pronounced  for  an  hfitcl, 
where  all  is  j^^'^'^^  sailing,  instead  of  advisinrj  a 
furnished  villa,  the  arran'^ements  for  which  would 
naturally  have  fallen  in  large  part  upon  the  shoulders 
of  the  wretched  secretary.      As  in  any  case  I  have 


MERCI,    MONSIEUR  ! 


I 

:        i 


:; 


to  do  three  hours'  work  a  day,  I  feel  that  such 
additions  to  my  normal  burden  may  well  be  spared 
me.  I  tipped  Ccsarine  half  a  sovereign,  in  fact,  for 
her  judicious  choice.  Cesariue  glanced  at  it  on  her 
palm  in  her  mysterious,  curious,  half-smiling  way, 
and  pocketed  it  at  once  with  a  *  Merci,  monsieur !  * 


i 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  TYROLEAN  CASTLE 


83 


that  had  a  touch  of  contempt  in  it.  I  always  fancy 
Cesarine  has  large  ideas  of  her  own  on  the  subject  of 
tipping,  and  thinks  very  small  beer  of  the  modest 
sums  a  mere  secretary  can  alone  afford  to  bestow 
upon  her. 

The  great  peculiarity  of  Meran  is  the  number  of 
schlosses  (I  believe  my  plural  is  strictly  irregular, 
but  very  convenient  to  English  ears)  which  you  can 
see  in  every  direction  from  its  outskirts.  A  statistical 
eye,  it  is  supposed,  can  count  no  fewer  than  forty  of 
these  picturesque,  ramshackled  old  castles  from  a 
point  on  the  Kuchelberg.  For  myself,  I  hate 
statistics  (except  as  an  element  in  financial  pros- 
pectuses), and  I  really  don't  know  how  many  ruinous 
piles  Isabel  and  Amelia  counted  under  C^sarine's 
guidance ;  but  I  remember  that  most  of  them  were 
quaint  and  beautiful,  and  that  their  variety  of 
architecture  seemed  positively  bewildering.  One 
would  be  square,  with  funny  little  turrets  stuck  out 
at  each  angle ;  while  another  would  rejoice  in  a  big 
round  keep,  and  spread  on  either  side  long,  ivy- 
clad  walls  and  delightful  bastions.  Charles  was 
immensely  taken  with  them.  He  loves  the  pictur- 
esque, and  has  a  poet  hidden  in  that  financial  soul 
of  his.  (Very  efifectually  hidden,  though,  I  am  ready 
to  grant  you.)  From  the  moment  he  came  he  felt 
at  once  he  would  love  to  possess  a  castle  of  his  own 
among  these  romantic  mountains.  *  Seldon  I  *  he 
exclaimed  contemptuously.  'They  call  Seldon  a 
castle  I     But   you   and    I    know   very   well,    Sey,  it 


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was  built  in  i860,  with  sham  antique  stones,  for 
Macpherson  of  Seldon,  at  market  rates,  by  Cubitt 
and  Co.,  worshipful  contractors  of  London.  Mac- 
pherson charged  me  for  that  sham  antiquity  a 
preposterous  price,  at  which  one  ought  to  procure  a 
real  ancestral  mansion.  Now,  i/tese  castles  are  real. 
They  are  hoary  with  antiquity.  Schloss  Tyrol  is 
Romanesque — tenth  or  eleventh  century.*  (He  had 
been  reading  it  up  in  Baedeker.)  'That's  the  sort 
of  place  for  we/ — tenth  or  eleventh  century.  I 
could  live  here,  remote  from  stocks  and  shares,  for 
ever ;  and  in  these  sequestered  glens,  recollect,  Sey, 
my  boy,  there  are  no  Colonel  Clays,  and  no  arch 
Madame  Picardets  I  * 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  could  have  lived  there  six 
weeks,  and  then  tired  for  Park  Lane,  Monte  Carlo, 
Brighton. 

As  for  Amelia,  strange  to  say,  she  was  equally 
taken  with  this  new  fad  of  Charles's.  As  a  rule  she 
hates  everywhere  on  earth  save  London,  except 
during  the  time  when  no  respectable  person  can  be 
seen  in  town,  and  when  modest  blinds  shade  the 
scandalised  face  of  Mayfair  and  Belgravia.  She 
bores  herself  to  death  even  at  Seldon  Castle,  Ross- 
shire,  and  yawns  all  day  long  in  Paris  or  Vienna. 
She  is  a  confirmed  Cockney.  Yet,  for  some  occult 
reason,  my  amiable  sister-in-law  fell  in  love  with 
South  Tyrol.  She  wanted  to  vegetate  in  that  lush 
vegetation.  The  grapes  were  being  picked  ;  pump- 
over  the  wall 


hung 


Virginia  creeper  draped 


\- 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  TYROLEAN  CASTLE         85 


r 


' 


the  quaint  gray  schlosses  with  crimson  cloaks  ;  and 
everything  was  as  beautiful  as  a  dream  of  Burne- 
Jones's.  (I  know  I  am  quite  right  in  mentioning 
Burne-Jones,  especially  in  connection  with  Roman- 
esque architecture,  because  I  heard  him  highly  praised 
on  that  very  ground  by  our  friend  and  enemy,  Dr. 
Edward  Polperro.)  So  perhaps  it  was  excusable 
that  Amelia  should  fall  in  love  with  it  all,  under  the 
circumstances ;  besides,  she  is  largely  influenced  by 
what  C^sarine  says,  and  Cesarine  declares  there  is  no 
climate  in  Europe  like  Meran  in  winter.  I  do  not 
agree  with  her.  The  sun  sets  behind  the  hills  at 
three  in  the  afternoon,  and  a  nasty  warm  wind  blows 
moist  over  the  snow  in  January  and  February. 

However,  Amelia  set  Cesarine  to  inqi  re  of  the 
people  at  the  hotel  about  the  market  price  of  tumble- 
down ruins,  and  the  number  of  such  eligible  family 
mausoleums  just  then  for  sale  in  the  immediate 
neighbourhood.  Cesarine  returned  with  a  full,  true, 
and  particular  list,  adorned  with  flowers  of  rhetoric 
which  would  have  delighted  the  soul  of  good  old 
John  Robins.  They  were  all  picturesque,  all 
Romanesque,  all  richly  ivy-clad,  all  commodious, 
all  historical,  and  all  the  property  of  high  well-born 
Grafs  and  very  honourable  Freiherrs.  Most  of  them 
had  been  the  scene  of  celebrated  tournaments  ;  several 
of  them  had  witnessed  the  gorgeous  marriages  of 
Holy  Roman  Zmperors  ;  and  every  one  of  them  was 
provided  with  some  choice  and  selected  first-cla:.. 
murders.     Ghosts  could  be  arranged  for  or  not,  as 


is 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


desired  ;  and  armorial  bearings  could  be  thrown  in 
with  the  moat  for  a  moderate  extra  remuneration. 

The  two  we  liked  best  of  all  these  tempting  piles 
were  Schloss  Planta  and  Schloss  Lebensteln.  We 
drove  past  both,  and  even  I  myself,  I  confess,  was 


C^SARINE  RETURNED  WITH  A  FULL,   TRUE,    AND  PARTICULAR  LIST. 


distinctly  taken  with  them.  (Besides,  when  a  big 
purchase  like  this  is  on  the  stocks,  a  poor  beggar  of 
a  secretary  has  always  a  chance  of  exerting  his 
influence  and  earning  for  himself  some  modest  com- 
mission.) Schloss  Planta  was  the  most  striking 
externally,  I  should  say,  with  its  Rhine-like  towers, 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  TYROLEAN  CASTLE 


«7 


and  its  great  gnarled  ivy-stems,  that  looked  as  if 
they  antedated  the  House  of  Hapsburg  ;  but  Leben- 
stein  was  said  to  be  better  preserved  within,  and  more 
fitted  in  every  way  for  modern  occupation.  Its 
staircase  has  been  photographed  by  7000  amateurs. 

We  got  tickets  to  view.  The  invaluable  C^sarine 
procured  them  for  us.  Armed  with  these,  we  drove 
off  one  fine  afternoon,  meaning  to  go  to  Planta,  by 
C^sarine's  recommendation.  Half-way  there,  how- 
ever, we  changed  our  minds,  as  it  was  such  a  lovely 
day,  and  went  on  up  the  long,  slow  hill  to  Lebenstein. 
I  must  say  the  drive  through  the  grounds  was  simply 
charming.  The  castle  stands  perched  (say  rather 
poised,  like  St.  Michael  the  archangel  in  Italian 
pictures)  on  a  solitary  stack  or  crag  of  rock,  looking 
down  on  every  side  upon  its  own  rich  vineyards. 
Chestnuts  line  the  glens ;  the  valley  of  the  Etsch 
spreads  below  like  a  picture. 

The  vineyards  alone  make  a  splendid  estate,  by 
the  way ;  they  produce  a  delicious  red  wine,  which 
is  exported  to  Bordeaux,  and  there  bottled  and  sold 
as  a  vintage  claret  under  the  name  of  Chateau 
Monnivet.  Charles  revelled  in  the  idea  of  growing 
his  own  wines. 

'Here  we  could  sit,'  he  cried  to  Amelia,  *in  the 
most  literal  sense,  under  our  own  vine  and  fig-tree. 
Delicious  retirement  1  For  my  part,  I'm  sick  and 
tired  of  the  hubbub  of  Threadneedle  Street.' 

We  knocked  at  the  door — for  there  was  really  no 
bell,  but   a  ponderous,   old-fashioned,    wrought- iron 


88 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


I 


1 


knocker.  So  deliciously  mediaeval !  The  late  Graf 
Von  Lebenstein  had  recently  died,  we  knew ;  and 
his  son,  the  present  Count,  a  young  man  of  means, 
having  inherited  from  his  mother's  family  a  still  more 
ancient  and  splendid  schloss  in  the  Salzburg  district, 
desired  to  sell  this  outlying  estate  in  order  to  afford 
himself  a  yacht,  after  the  manner  that  is  now  be- 
coming increasingly  fashionable  with  the  noblemen 
and  gentlen.jn  in  Germany  and  Austria. 

The  door  was  opened  for  us  by  a  high  well-bom 
menial,  attired  in  a  very  ancient  and  honourable 
livery.  Nice  antique  hall  ;  suits  of  ancestral  armour, 
trophies  of  Tyrolese  hunters,  coats  of  arms  of  ancient 
counts — the  very  thing  to  take  Amelia's  aristocratic 
and  romantic  fancy.  The  whole  to  be  sold  exactly 
as  it  stood  ;  ancestors  to  be  included  at  a  valuation. 

We  went  through  the  reception-rooms.  They 
were  lofty,  charming,  and  with  glorious  views,  all  the 
more  glorious  for  being  framed  by  those  graceful 
Romanesque  windows,  with  their  slender  pillars  and 
quaint,  round-topped  arches.  Sir  Charles  had  made 
his  mind  up.  '  I  must  and  will  have  it l'  he  cried. 
'  This  is  the  place  for  me.  Seldon  1  Pah,  Seldon 
is  a  modern  abomination.' 

Could  we  see  the  high  well-born  Count?  The 
liveried  servant  (somewhat  haughtily)  would  inquire  of 
his  Serenity.  Sir  Charles  sent  up  his  card,  and  also 
Lady  Vandrift's.  These  foreigners  know  title  spells 
money  in  England. 

He  was  ri?ht  in  his  surmise.     Two  minutes  later 


f 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  TYROLEAN  CAvSTLE 


89 


\ 


Vt 


later 


the  Count  entered  with  our  cards  in  his  hands.  A 
good-looking  young  man,  with  the  characteristic 
Tyrolese  long  black  moustache,  dressed  in  a  gentle- 
manly variant  on  the  costume  of  the  country.  His 
air  was  a  jager's  ;  the  usual  blackcock's  plume  stuck 
jauntily  in  the  side  of  the  conical  hat  (which  he  held 
in  his  hand),  after  the  universal  Austrian  fash"  on. 

He  waved  us  to  seats.  We  sat  down.  He  spoke 
to  us  in  French ;  his  English,  he  remarked,  with  a 
pleasant  smile,  being  a  nigligeable  quantity.  We 
might  speak  it,  he  went  on  ;  he  could  understand 
pretty  well ;  but  he  preferred  to  answer,  if  we  would 
allow  him,  in  French  or  German. 

*  French,*  Charles  replied,  and  the  negotiation 
continued  thenceforth  in  that  language,  It  is  the 
only  one,  save  English  and  his  ancestral  Dutch,  with 
which  my  brother-in-law  possesses  even  a  nodding 
acquaintance. 

We  praised  the  beautiful  scene.  The  Count's 
face  lighted  up  with  patriotic  pride.  Yes ;  it  was 
beautiful,  beautiful,  his  own  green  Tyrol.  He  was 
proud  of  it  and  attached  to  it  But  he  could  endure 
to  sell  this  place,  the  home  of  his  fathers,  because  he 
had  a  finer  in  the  Salzkammergut,  and  a  pied-h-terre 
near  Innsbruck.  For  Tyrol  lacked  just  one  joy— 
the  sea.  He  was  a  passionate  yachtsman.  For  that 
he  had  resolved  to  sell  this  estate  ;  after  all,  three 
country  houses,  a  ship,  and  a  mansion  in  Vienna,  are 
more  than  one  man  can  comfortably  inhabit 

*  Exactly,'  Charles  answered.     *  If  I  can  come  to 


90 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


terms  with  you  about  this  charming  estate  I  shall 
sell  my  own  castle  in  the  Scotch  Highlands.'  And 
he  tried  to  look  like  a  proud  Scotch  chief  who 
harangues  his  clansmen. 

Then  they  got  to  business.  The  Count  was  a 
delightful  man  to  do  business  with.  His  manners 
were  perfect.  While  we  were  talking  to  him,  a  surly 
person,  a  steward  or  bailiff,  or  something  of  the  sort, 
came  into  the  room  unexpectedly  and  addressed  him 
in  German,  which  none  of  us  understand.  We  were 
impressed  by  the  singular  urbanity  and  benignity  of 
the  nobleman's  demeanour  towards  this  sullen  de- 
pendant. He  evidently  explained  to  the  fellow  what 
sort  of  people  we  were,  and  remonstrated  with  him 
in  a  very  gentle  way  for  interrupting  us.  The  steward 
understood,  and  clearly  regretted  his  insolent  air ; 
for  after  a  few  sentences  he  went  out,  and  as  he  did 
so  he  bowed  and  made  protestations  of  polite  regard 
in  his  own  language.  The  Count  turned  to  us  and 
smiled.  '  Our  people,'  he  said,  *  are  like  your  own 
Scotch  peasants — kind-hearted,  picturesque,  free, 
musical,  poetic,  but  wanting,  hdas,  in  polish  to 
strangers.'  He  was  certainly  an  exception,  if  he 
described  them  aright ;  for  he  made  us  feel  at  home 
from  the  moment  we  entered. 

He  named  his  price  in  frank  terms.  His  lawyers 
at  Meran  held  the  needful  documents,  and  would 
arrange  the  negotiations  in  detail  with  us.  It  was  a 
stiff  sum^  I  must  say — an  extremely  stiff  sum  ;  but  no 
doubt  he  was  charging  us  a  fancy  price  for  a  fancy 


-  ( 


J 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  TYROLEAN  CASTLE 


9« 


shall 
And 
who 

v&a  a 
nners 
surly 
;  sort, 
i  him 
;  were 
ity  of 
n  de- 
what 
1  him 
eward 
t  air ; 
did 
egard 
and 
own 
free, 
sh   to 
if  he 
home 

wyers 
would 
was  a 
)utno 
fancy 


castle.  '  He  will  come  down  in  time,'  Charles  said. 
'  The  sum  first  named  in  all  these  transactions  is 
invariably  a  feeler.  They  know  I'm  a  millionaire  ; 
and  people  always  imagine  millionaires  are  positively 
made  of  money.' 

I  may  add  that  people  always  imagine  it  must  be 
easier  to  squeeze  money  out  of  millionaires  than  out 
of  other  people — which  is  the  reverse  of  the  truth,  or 
how  could  they  ever  have  amassed  their  millions  ? 
Instead  of  oozing  gold  as  a  tree  oozes  gum,  they 
mop  it  up  like  blotting-paper,  and  seldom  give  it 
out  again. 

We  drove  back  from  this  first  interview  none  the 
less  very  well  satisfied.  The  price  was  too  high  ;  but 
preliminaries  were  arranged,  and  for  the  rest,  the  Count 
desired  us  to  discuss  all  details  with  his  lawyers 
in  the  chief  street,  Unter  den  Lauben.  We  inquired 
about  these  lawyers,  and  found  they  were  most 
respectable  rnd  respected  men ;  they  had  done  the 
family  business  on  either  side  for  seven  generations. 

They  showed  us  plans  and  title-deeds.  Every- 
thing quite  en  r^gle.  Till  we  came  to  the  price 
there  was  no  hitch  of  any  sort. 

As  to  price,  however,  the  lawyers  were  obdurate. 
They  stuck  out  for  the  Count's  first  sum  to  the  utter- 
most florin.  It  was  a  very  big  estimate.  We  talked 
and  shilly-shallied  till  Sir  Charles  grew  angry.  He 
lost  his  temper  at  last. 

*  They  know  I'm  a  millionaire,  Sey,'  he  said,  *  and 
they're  playing  the  old  game  of  trying  to  diddle  me. 


9» 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


But  I  won't  be  diddled.  Except  Colonel  Clay,  no 
man  has  ever  yet  succeeded  in  bleeding  me.  And 
shall  I  let  myself  be  bled  as  if  I  were  a  chamois 
amons  these  innocent  mountains  ?  Perish  the 
thought ! '  Then  he  reflected  a  little  in  silence. 
*  Sey/  he  mused  on,  at  last,  '  the  question  is,  are  they 
innocent  ?  Do  you  know,  I  begin  to  believe  there 
is  no  such  thing  left  as  pristine  innocence  anywhere. 


■ — -         AS  TO  PRICE,    THE  LAWYERS  WERE  OBDURATE, 


This  Tyrolese  Count  knows  the  value  of  a  pound  as 
distinctly  as  if  he  hung  out  in  Capel  Court  or 
Kimberley.* 

Things  dragged  on  in  this  way,  inconclusively, 
for  a  week  or  two.  We  bid  down  ;  the  lawyers 
stuck  to  it.  Sir  Charles  grew  half  sick  of  the  whole 
silly  business.  For  my  own  part,  I  felt  sure  if  the 
high  well-born  Count  didn't  quicken  his  pace,  my 
respected  relative  would  shortly  have  had  enough  of 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  TYROLEAN  CASTLE 


93 


.i^ 


i 


my 
rhof 


the  Tyrol  altogether,  and  be  proof  against  the  most 
lovely  of  crag -crowning  castles.  But  the  Count 
didn't  see  it.  He  came  to  call  on  us  at  our  hotel — 
a  rare  honour  for  a  stranger  with  these  haughty  and 
exclusive  Tyrolese  nobles — and  even  entered  ur^- 
announced  in  the  most  friendly  manner.  But  when 
it  came  to  £  s.  d.,  he  was  absolute  adamant.  Not 
one  kreutzer  would  he  abate  from  his  -  original 
proposal. 

*  You  misunderstand,'  he  said,  with  pride.  '  We 
Tyrolese  gentlemen  arc  not  shopkeepers  or  merchants, 
We  do  not  higgle.  If  we  s?v  a  thing  we  stick  to  it. 
Were  you  an  Austrian,  I  should  feel  insulted  by 
your  ill-advised    attempt  to  beat  down  my  price. 

But  as  you  belong  to  a  great  commercial  nation * 

he  broke  off  with  a  snort  and  shrugged  his  shoulders 
compassionately. 

We  saw  him  several  times  driving  in  and  out  of 
the  schloss,  and  every  time  he  waved  his  hand  at  us 
gracefully.  But  when  we  tried  to  bargain,  it  was 
always  the  same  thing  :  he  retired  behind  the  shelter 
of  his  Tyrolese  nobility.  We  might  take  it  or  leave 
it.     'Twas  still  Schloss  Lebenstein. 

The  lawyers  were  as  bad.  We  tried  all  we  knew, 
and  got  no  forrarder. 

At  last  Charles  gave  up  the  attempt  in  disgust. 
He  was  tiring,  as  I  expected.  *  It's  the  prettiest 
place  I  ever  saw  in  my  life,'  he  said  ;  '  but,  hang  it 
all,  Sey,  I  won^t  be  imposed  upon.' 

So  he  made  up  his  mind,  it  being  now  December, 


'   I 


94 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


if  1 


f 


I 


to  return  to  London.  We  met  the  Count  next  day, 
and  stopped  his  carriage,  and  told  him  so.  Charles 
thought  this  would  have  the  immediate  effect  of 
bringing  the  man  to  reason.  But  he  only  lifted  his 
hat,  with  the  blackcock's  feather,  and  smiled  a  bland 
smile.  'The  Archduke  Karl  is  inquiring  about  it,' 
he  answered,  and  drove  on  without  parley. 

Charles  used  some  strong  words,  which  I  will  not 
transcribe  (I  am  a  family  man),  and  returned  to 
England. 

For  the  next  two  months  we  heard  little  from 
Amelia  save  her  regret  that  the  Count  wouldn't  sell 
us  Schloss  Lebenstein.  Its  pinnacles  had  fairly 
pierced  her  heart.  Strange  to  say,  she  was  absolutely 
infatuated  about  the  castle.  She  rather  wanted  the 
place  while  she  was  there,  and  thought  she  could 
get  it ;  now  she  thought  she  couldn't,  her  soul  (if 
she  has  one)  was  wildly  set  upon  it.  Moreover, 
C^sarine  further  inflamed  her  desire  by  gently  hinting 
a  fact  which  she  had  picked  up  at  the  courier's  tab/e 
dltdte  at  the  hotel — that  the  Count  had  been  far 
from  anxious  to  sell  his  ancestral  and  historical 
estate  to  a  South  African  diamond  king.  He 
thought  the  honour  of  the  family  demanded,  at  least, 
that  he  should  secure  a  wealthy  buyer  of  good 
ancient  lineage. 

One  morning  in  February,  however,  Amelia 
returned  from  the  Row  all  smiles  and  tremors. 
(She  had  been  ordered  horse-exercise  to  correct  the 
increasing  excessiveness  of  her  figure.) 


>  ■ 


V 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  TYROLEAN  CASTLE 


95 


\ 


'Who  do  you  think  I  saw  riding  in  the  Park?' 
she  inquired.     '  Why,  the  Count  of  Lebenstein.' 

'  No  ! '  Charles  exclaimed,  incredulous. 

'  Yes,'  Amelia  answered. 

'  Must  be  mistaken,'  Charles  cried. 

But  Amelia  stuck  to  it.  More  than  that,  she 
sent  out  emissaries  to  inquire  diligently  from  the 
Londdn  lawyers,  whose  name  had  been  mentioned 
to  us  by  the  ancestral  firm  in  Unter  den  Lauben  as 
their  English  agents,  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  our 
friend  ;  and  her  emissaries  learned  in  effect  that  the 
Count  was  in  town  and  stopping  at  Morley's. 

*  I  see  through  it,'  Charles  exclaimed.  *  He  finds 
he's  made  a  mistake  ;  and  now  he's  come  over  here 
to  reopen  negotiations.* 

I  was  all  for  waiting  prudently  till  the  Count 
Tiade  the  first  move.  '  Don't  let  him  see  your 
sagerness,*  I  said.  But  Amelia's  ardour  could  not 
now  be  restrained.  She  insisted  that  Charles  should 
call  on  the  Graf  as  a  mere  return  of  his  politeness 
in  the  Tyrol. 

He  was  as  charming  as  ever.  He  talked  to  us 
with  delight  about  the  quaintness  of  London.  He 
would  be  ravished  to  dine  next  evening  with  Sir 
Charles.  He  desired  his  respectful  salutations  mean- 
while to  Miladi  Vandrift  and  Madame  Ventvorth. 

He  dined  with  us,  almost  en  famille.  Amelia's 
cook  did  wonders.  In  the  billiard-room,  about  mid- 
night, Charles  reopened  the  subject.  The  Count 
W£s  really  touched.     It  pleased  him  that  still,  amid 


96 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


the  distractions  of  the  City  of  Five  Million  Souls,  we 
should  remember  with  affection  his  beloved  Lebenstein. 

'  Come  to  my  lawyers/  he  said,  '  to-morrow,  and 
I  will  talk  it  all  over  with  you.* 

We  went — a  most  respectable  firm  in  South- 
ampton Row ;  old  family  solicitors.  They  had 
done  business  for  years  for  the  late  Count,  who  had 
inherited  from  his  grandmother  estates  in  Ireland  ; 
and  they  were  glad  to  be  honoured  with  the  con- 
fidence of  his  buccessor.  Glad,  too,  to  make  the 
acquaintance  of  a  prince  of  finance  like  Sir  Charles 
Vandrift.  Anxious  (rubbing  their  hands)  to  arrange 
matters  satisfactorily  all  round  for  everybody.  (Two 
capital  families  with  which  to  be  mixed  up,  you  see.) 

Sir  Charles  named  a  price,  and  referred  them  to 
his  solicitors.  The  Count  named  a  higher,  but  still 
a  little  come-down,  and  left  the  matter  to  be  settled 
between  the  lawyers.  He  was  a  soldier  and  a 
gentleman,  he  said,  with  a  Tyrolese  toss  of  his  high- 
born head ;  he  would  abandon  details  to  men  of 
business. 

As  I  was  really  anxious  to  oblige  Amelia,  I  met 
the  Count  accidentally  next  day  on  the  steps  of 
Morley's.  (Accidentally,  that  is  to  say,  so  far  as  he 
was  concerned,  though  I  had  been  hanging  about  in 
Trafalgar  Square  for  half  an  hour  to  see  him.)  I 
explained,  in  guarded  terms,  that  I  had  a  great  deal 
of  influence  in  my  way  with  Sir  Charles  ;  and  that  a 

word  from  me I  broke  off.     He  stared  at  me 

blankly. 


I  Souls,  we 
cbenstein. 
orrow,  and 

in  South- 
They  had 
t,  who  had 
n  Ireland  ; 
1  the  con- 

make  the 
Sir  Charles 

to  arrange 
Ddy.  (Two 
p,  you  see.) 
d  them  to 
er,  but  still 
0  be  settled 
dier  and  a 
of  his  high- 
to  men  of 

tielia,  I  met 
iie  steps  of 
>o  far  as  he 
ng  about  in 
le  him.)  I 
L  great  deal 
and  that  a 
tared  at  me 


r 


i 


k 


THE  EriSODE  OF  THE  TYROLEAN  CASTLE         97 

*  Commission  ?  '  he  inquired,  at  last,  with  a  (^uecr 
little  smile. 

*  Well,    not    exactly    commission,'    I     answered, 


COMMISSION?    TIE   INQUIRED. 


wincing.     '  Still,  a  friendly  word,  you  know.     One 
good  turn  deserves  another.' 

He  looked  at  mc  from  head  to  foot  with  a  curious 
scrutiny.  For  one  moment  I  feared  the  Tyrolese 
nobleman  in  him  was  going  to  raise  its  foot  and 
take  active  measures.      But  the  next,  I  saw  that  Sir 

H 


I 


:s 


98 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


Charles  was  right  after  all,  and  that  pristine 
innocence  has  removed  from  this  planet  to  other 
quarters. 

He  named  his  lowest  price.  *  M.  Ventvorth,'  he 
saicl,  '  I  am  a  Tyrolese  seigneur ;  I  do  not  dabble, 
myself,  in  commissions  and  percentages.  But  if  your 
influence  with  Sir  Charles — we  understand  each  other, 
do  we  not  ? — as  between  gentlemen — a  little  friendly 
present — no  money,  of  course — but  the  equivalent 
of  say  5  per  cent  in  jewellery,  on  whatever  sum  above 
his  bid  to-day  you  induce  him  to  offer — eh  ? — t^est 
convenu  ?* 

'  Ten  per  cent  is  more  usual,'  I  murmured. 

He  was  the  Austrian  hussar  again.  *  Five, 
monsieur — or  nothing !  * 

I  bowed  and  withdrew.  'Well,  five  then,'  I 
answered,  'just  to  oblige  your  Serenity.' 

A  secretary,  after  all,  can  do  a  great  deal.  When 
it  came  to  the  scratch,  I  had  but  little  difficulty  in 
persuading  Sir  Charles,  with  Amelia's  aid,  backed 
up  on  either  side  by  Isabel  and  C^sarine,  to  accede 
to  the  Count's  more  reasonable  proposal.  The 
Southampton  Row  people  had  possession  of  certain 
facts  as  to  the  value  of  the  wines  in  the  Bordeaux 
market  which  clinched  the  matter.  In  a  week  or 
two  all  was  settled  ;  Charles  and  I  met  the  Count 
by  appointment  in  Southampton  Row,  and  saw  him 
sign,  seal,  and  deliver  the  title-deeds  of  Schloss 
Lebenstein.  My  brother-in-law  paid  the  purchase- 
money    into   the   Count's   own   hands,   by   cheque, 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  TYROLEAN  CASTLE 


99 


crossed  on  a  first-class  London  firm  where  the  Count 
kept  an  account  to  his  high  well-born  order.  Then 
he  went  away  with  the  proud  knowledge  that  he  was 
owner  of  Schloss  Lebenstein.  And  what  to  me  was 
more  important  still,  I  received  next  morning  by 
post  a  cheque  for  the  five  per  cent,  unfortunately 
drawn,  by  some  misapprehension,  to  my  order  on  the 
self-same  bankers,  and  with  the  Count's  signature. 
He  explained  in  the  accompanying  note  that  the 
matter  being  now  quite  satisfactorily  concluded,  he 
saw  no  reason  of  delicacy  why  the  amount  he  had 
promised  should  not  be  paid  to  me  forthwith  direct 
in  money. 

I  cashed  the  cheque  at  once,  and  said  nothing 
about  the  affair,  not  even  to  Isabel.  My  experience 
is  that  women  are  not  to  be  trusted  with  intricate 
matters  of  commission  and  brokerage. 

Though  it  was  now  late  in  March,  and  the  House 
was  sitting,  Charles  insisted  that  we  must  all  run 
over  at  once  to  take  possession  of  our  magnificent 
Tyrolese  castle.  Amelia  was  almost  equally  burning 
with  eagerness.  She  gave  herself  the  airs  of  a 
Countess  already.  We  took  the  Orient  Express  as 
far  as  Munich  ;  then  the  Brenner  to  Meran,  and  put 
up  for  the  night  at  the  Erzherzog  Johann.  Though 
we  had  telegraphed  our  arrival,  and  expected  some 
fuss,  there  was  no  demonstration.  Next  morning 
we  drove  out  in  state  to  the  schloss,  to  enter  into 
enjoyment  of  our  vines  and  fig-trees. 

We  were  met  at  the  door  by  the  surly  steward. 


t", 


lOO 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


I    I 


'  I  shall  dismiss  that  man/  Charles  muttered,  as  Lord 
of  Lebcnstcin.  '  He's  too  sour-looking  for  my  taste. 
Never  saw  such  a  brute.  Not  a  smile  of  welcome  !  * 
He  mounted  the  steps.  The  surly  man  stepped 
forward    and    murmured    a    few    morose    words    in 


WE  WERR  MET  AT  THE  DOOR  BY 
THE   SURLY   STEWARD. 


German.  Charles  brushed  him  aside  and  strode  oa 
Then  there  followed  a  curious  scene  of  mutual  mis- 
understanding. The  surly  man  called  lustily  for  his 
servants  to  eject  us.  It  was  some  time  before  we 
began  to  catch  at  the  truth.  The  surly  man  was  the 
real  Graf  von  Lebenstein. 

And  the  Count  with  the  moustache  ?     It  dawned 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  TYROLEAN  CASTLE         loi 


rd 
te. 
A' 
ed 
in 


Da 

is- 
his 
we 
;he 

led 


upon  us  now.  Colonel  Clay  again  1  More  audacious 
than  ever  I 

Bit  by  bit  it  all  came  out.  He  had  ridden 
behind  us  the  first  day  we  viewed  the  place,  and, 
giving  himself  out  to  the  servants  as  one  of  our 
party,  had  joined  us  in  the  reception-room.  We 
asked  the  real  Count  why  he  had  spoken  to  the 
mtruder.  The  Count  explained  in  French  that  the 
man  with  the  moustache  had  introduced  my  brother- 
in-law  as  the  great  South  African  millionaire,  while 
he  described  himself  as  our  courier  and  interpreter. 
As  such  he  had  had  frequent  interviews  with  the 
real  Graf  and  his  lawyers  in  Meran,  and  had  driven 
almost  daily  across  to  the  castle.  The  owner  of  the 
estate  had  named  one  price  from  the  first,  and  had 
stuck  to  it  manfully.  He  stuck  to  it  still ;  and  if 
Sir  Charles  chose  to  buy  Schloss  Lebenstein  over 
again  he  was  welcome  to  have  it.  How  the  London 
lawyers  had  been  duped  the  Count  had  not  really 
the  slightest  idea.  He  regretted  the  incident,  and 
(coldly)  wished  us  a  very  good  morning. 

There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  return  as  best  we 
might  to  the  Erzherzog  Johann,  crestfallen,  and 
telegraph  particulars  to  the  police  in  London. 

Charles  and  I  ran  across  post-haste  to  England 
to  track  down  the  villain.  At  Southampton  Row 
we  found  the  legal  firm  by  no  means  penitent ;  on 
the  contrary,  they  were  indignant  at  the  way  we 
had  deceived  them.  An  impostor  had  written  to 
them  on  Lebenstein  paper  from  Meran  to  say  that 


I 


r 


I02 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


I 


he  was  coming  to  London  to  negotiate  the  sale  of 
the  schloss  and  surrounding  property  with  the 
famous  millionaire,  Sir  Charles  Vandrift ;  and  Sir 
Charles  had  demonstratively  recognised  him  at  sight 
as  the  real  Count  von  Lebenstein.  The  firm  had 
never  seen  the  present  Graf  at  all,  and  had  swallowed 
the  impostor  whole,  so  to  speak,  on  the  strength  of 
Sir  Charles's  obvious  recognition.  He  had  brought 
over  as  documents  some  most  excellent  forgeries — 
facsimiles  of  the  originals — which,  as  our  courier 
and  interpreter,  he  had  every  opportunity  of  examin- 
ing and  inspecting  at  the  Meran  lawyers.'  It  was  a 
deeply-laid  plot,  and  it  had  succeeded  to  a  marvel. 
Yet,  all  of  it  depended  upon  the  one  small  fact  that 
we  had  accepted  the  man  with  the  long  moustache 
in  the  hall  of  the  schloss  as  the  Count  von  Leben- 
stein on  his  own  representation. 

He  held  our  cards  in  his  hands  when  he  came  in  ; 
and  the  servant  had  not  given  them  to  him,  but  to 
the  genuine  Count  That  was  the  one  unsolved 
mystery  in  the  whole  adventure. 

By  the  evening's  post  two  letters  arrived  for  us 
at  Sir  Charles's  house :  one  for  myself,  and  one  for 
my  employer.     Sir  Charles's  ran  thus  : — 

'  High  well-born  Incompetence, — 

*  I  only  just  pulled  through  1  A  very  small  slip 
nearly  lost  me  everything.  I  believed  you  were 
going  to  Schloss  Planta  that  day,  not  to  Schloss 
Lebenstein.  You  changed  your  mind  en  route.  That 
might  have  spoiled  all.     Happily  I  perceived  it,  rode 


/ 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  TYROLEAN  CASTLE        103 

up  by  the  short  cut,  and  arrived  somewhat  hurriedly 
and  hotly  at  the  gate  before  you.  Then  I  introduced 
myself.  I  had  one  more  bad  moment  when  the 
rival  claimant  to  my  name  and  title  intruded  into 
the  room  But  fortune  favours  the  brave:  your 
utter  ignorance  of  German  saved  me.  The  rest  was 
pap.     It  went  by  itself  almost. 

*  Allow  me,  now,  as  some  small  return  for  your 
various  welcome  cheques,  to  offer  you  a  useful  and 
valuable  present — a  German  dictionary,  grammar, 
and  phrase-book  I 

'  I  kiss  your  hand. 

'  No  longer 

'Von  Lebenstein.' 


The  other  note  was  to  me.    It  was  as  follows : — 

*  Dear  good  Mr.  Ventvorth, — 
'  '  Ha,  ha,  ha ;  just  a  W  misplaced  sufficed  to  take 
you  in,  then  I  And  I  risked  the  TH,  though  any- 
body with  a  head  on  his  shoulders  would  surely 
have  known  our  TH  is  by  far  more  difficult  than 
our  IV  for  foreigners  !  However,  all's  well  that  ends 
well ;  and  now  I've  got  you.  The  Lord  has  delivered 
you  into  my  hands,  dear  friend — on  your  own 
initiative.  I  hold  my  cheque,  endorsed  by  you,  and 
cashed  at  my  banker's,  as  a  hostage,  so  to  speak, 
for  your  future  good  behaviour.  If  ever  you  recog- 
nise me,  and  betray  me  to  that  solemn  old  ass,  your 
employer,  remember,  I  expose  it,  and  you  with  it  to 
him.     So  now  we  understand  each  other.     I  had 


: 


104 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


i 


I 


not  thought  of  this  little  dodge ;  it  was  you  who 
suggested  it.  However,  I  jumped  at  it.  Was  it 
not  well  worth  my  while  paying  you  that  slight 
commission  in  return  for  a  guarantee  of  your  future 
silence?  Your  mouth  is  now  closed.  And  cheap 
too  at  the  price. — Yours,  dear  Comrade,  in  the  great 
confraternity  of  rogues, 

*  CUTHBERT  Clay,  Colonel* 

Charles  laid  his  note  down,  and  grizzled.  '  What's 
yours,  Sey  ?  *  he  asked. 

*  From  a  lady,*  I  answered. 

He  gazed  at  me  suspiciously.  *  Oh,  I  thought  it 
was  the  same  hand,*  he  said.  His  eye  looked  through 
me. 

'No,'  I  answered.  *Mrs.  Mortimer's.'  But  I 
confess  I  trembled. 

He  paused  a  moment.  'You  made  all  inquiries 
at  this  fellow's  bank  ?  *  he  went  on,  after  a  deep  sigh. 

'  Oh,  yes,'  I  put  in  quickly.  (I  had  taken  good 
care  about  that,  you  may  be  sure,  lest  he  should 
spot  the  commission.)  '  They  say  the  self-styled 
Count  von  Lebenstein  was  introduced  to  them  by 
the  Southampton  Row  folks,  and  drew,  as  usual,  on 
the  Lebenstein  account :  so  they  were  quite  un- 
suspicious. A  rascal  who  goes  about  the  world  on 
that  scale,  you  know,  and  arrives  with  such  creden- 
tials as  theirs  and  yours,  naturally  imposes  on  any- 
body. The  bank  didn't  even  require  to  have  him 
formally  identified.      The    firm   was    enough.      He 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  TYROLEAN  CASTLE        roS 

came  to  pay  money  in,  not  to  draw  it  out.  And  he 
withdrew  his  balance  just  two  days  later,  saying  he 
was  in  a  hurry  to  get  back  to  Vienna.' 

Would  he  ask  for  items?  I  confess  I  felt  it  was 
an  awkward  moment.  Charles,  however,  was  too 
full  of  regrets  to   botht     about   the   account.      He 


TWO  LETTERS. 

leaned  back  in  his  easy  chair,  stuck  his  hands  in  his 
pockets,  held  his  legs  straight  out  on  the  fender 
before  him,  and  looked  the  very  picture  of  hopeless 
despondency. 

'  Sey,'  he  began,  after  a  minute  or  two,  poking  the 
fire,  reflectively,  '  what  a  genius  that  man  has  !     'Pen 

my   soul,.  I    admire   him.      I   sometimes    wish ' 

He  broke  oft'  and  hesitated. 


r 


lo6 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


*  Yes,  Charles  ?  *  I  answered. 

*  I  sometimes  wish  ...  we  had  got  him  on  the 
Board  of  the  Cloetedorp  Golcondas.  Mag — nificent 
combinations  he  would  make  in  the  City  I  * 

I  rose  from  my  seat  and  stared  solemnly  at  my 
misguided  brother-in-law. 

'Charles,'  I  said,  'you  are  beside  yourself.  Too 
much  Colonel  Clay  has  told  upon  your  clear  and 
splendid  intellect.  There  are  certain  remarks  which, 
however  true  they  may  be,  no  self-respecting  financier 
should  permit  himself  to  make,  even  in  the  privacy 
of  his  own  room,  to  his  most  intimate  friend  and 
trusted  adviser.' 

Charles  fairly  broke  down.  '  You  are  right,  Sey,' 
he  sobbed  out.  '  Quite  right.  Forgive  this  outburst. 
At  moments  of  emotion  the  truth  will  sometimes 
put,  in  spite  of  everything.' 

I  respected  his  feebleness.  I  did  not  even  make 
it  a  fitting  occasion  to  ask  for  a  trifling  increase  of 
salary. 


THE    EPISODE    OF   THE    DRAWN   GAME 


The  twelfth  of  August  saw  us,  as  usual,  at  Seldon 
Castle,  Ross-shire.  It  is  part  of  Charles's  restless, 
roving  temperament  that,  on  the  morning  of  the 
eleventh,  wet  or  fine,  he  must  set  out  from  London, 
whether  the  House  is  sitting  or  not,  in  defiance  of 
the  most  urgent  three-line  whips  ;  and  at  dawn  on 
the  twelfth  he  must  be  at  work  on  his  moors,  shoot- 
ing down  the  young  birds  with  might  and  main,  at 
the  earliest  possible  legal  moment. 

He  goes  on  like  Saul,  slaying  his  thousands,  or, 
like  David,  his  tens  of  thousands,  with  all  the  guns 
in  the  house  to  help  him,  till  the  keepers  warn 
him  he  has  killed  as  many  grouse  as  they  consider 
desirable ;  and  then,  having  done  his  duty,  as  he 
thinks,  in  this  respect,  he  retires  precipitately  with 
flying  colours  to  Brighton,  Nice,  Monte  Carlo,  or 
elsewhere.  He  must  be  always  '  on  the  trek ' ; 
when  he  is  buried,  I  believe  he  will  not  be  able  to 
rest  quiet  in  his  grave :  his  ghost  will  walk  the 
world  to  terrify  old  ladies. 

'At  Seldon,  at  least,'  he  said  to  me,  with,  a  sigh, 


io8 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


as  he  stepped  into  his  Pullman, '  I  shall  be  safe  from 
that  impostor  I ' 

And  indeed,  as  soon  as  he  had  begun  to  tire  a 
little  of  counting  up  his  hundreds  of  brace  per  diem, 
he  found  a  trifling  piece  of  financial  work  cut  ready 
to  his  hand,  which  amply  distracted  his  mind  for 
the  moment  from  Colonel  Clay,  his  accomplices,  and 
his  villainies. 

Sir  Charles,  I  ought  to  say,  had  secured  during 
that  summer  a  very  advantageous  option  in  a  part 
of  Africa  on  the  Transvaal  frontier,  rumoured  to  be 
auriferous.  Now,  whether  it  was  auriferous  or  not 
before,  the  mere  fact  that  Charles  had  secured  some 
claim  on  it  n-*:urally  made  it  so ;  for  no  man  had 
ever  the  genuine  Midas-touch  to  a  greater  degree 
than  Charles  Vandrift :  whatever  he  handles  turns 
at  once  to  gold,  if  not  to  diamonds.  Therefore, 
as  soon  as  my  brother-in-law  had  obtained  this 
option  from  the  native  vendor  (a  most  respected 
chief,  by  name  Montsioa),  and  promoted  a  company 
of  his  own  to  develop  it,  his  great  rival  in  that 
region,  Lord  Craig  -  Ellachie  (formerly  Sir  David 
Alexander  Granton),  immediately  secured  a  similar 
option  of  an  adjacent  track,  the  larger  part  of  which 
had  pretty  much  the  same  geological  conditions  as 
that  covered  by  Sir  Charles's  right  of  pre-emption. 

We  were  not  wholly  disappointed,  as  it  turned 
out,  in  the  result  A  month  or  two  later,  while  we 
were  still  at  Seldon,  we  received  a  long  and  encourag- 
ing letter  from  our  prospectors  on  the  spot,  who  had 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DRAWN  GAME 


109 


been  hunting  over  the  ground  in  search  of  gold-rccfs. 
They  reported  that  they  had  found  a  good  auriferous 
vein  in  a  corner  of  the  tract,  approachable  by  adit- 
levels  ;  but,  unfortunately,  only  a  few  yards  of  the 
lode  lay  within  the  limits  of  Sir  Charles's  area.  The 
remainder  ran  on  at  once  into  what  was  locally 
known  as  Craig-Ellachie's  section. 

However,  our  prospectors  had  been  canny,  they 
said  ;  though  young  Mr.  Gran  ton  was  prospecting 
at  the  same  time,  in  the  self-same  ridge,  not  very 
far  from  them,  his  miners  had  failed  to  discover  the 
auriferous  quartz ;  so  our  men  had  held  their  tongues 
about  it,  wisely  leaving  it  for  Charles  to  govern 
himself  accordingly. 

*  Can  you  dispute  the  boundary  ? '  I  asked. 

'  Impossible,'  Charles  answered.  '  You  see,  the 
limit  is  a  meridian  of  longitude.  There's  no  getting 
over  that.  Can't  pretend  to  deny  it.  No  buying 
over  the  sun  I  No  bribing  the  instruments  I  Besides, 
we  drew  the  line  ourselves.  We've  only  one  way 
out  of  it,  Sey.     Amalgamate  I     Amalgamate  I ' 

Charles  is  a  marvellous  man !  The  very  voice  in 
which  he  murmured  that  blessed  word  'Amalgamate!* 
was  in  itself  a  poem, 

*  Capital ! '  I  answered.  '  Say  nothing  about  it, 
and  join  forces  with  Craig-Ellachie.' 

Charles  closed  one  eye  pensively. 

That  very  same  evening  came  a  telegram  in 
cipher  from  our  chief  engineer  on  the  territory  of 
the  option :     '  Young  Granton  has  somehow  givea 


no 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


US  the  slip  and  gone  home.  We  suspect  he  knows 
all.  But  we  have  not  divulged  the  secret  to  any- 
body.' 

*  Seymour/  my  brother-in-law  said  impressively, 
'  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost.  I  must  write  this 
evening  to  Sir  David — I  mean  to  My  Lord.  Do 
you  happen  to  know  where  he  is  stopping  at 
present  ? ' 

'  The  Morning  Post  announced  two  or  three  days 
ago  that  he  was  at  Glen-EUachie,'  I  answered. 

'  Then  I'll  ask  him  to  come  over  and  thrash  the 
matter  out  with  me,'  my  brother-in-law  went  on.  '  A 
very  rich  reef,  they  say.  I  must  have  my  finger 
in  it!' 

We  adjourned  into  the  study,  where  Sir  Charles 
drafted,  I  must  admit,  a  most  judicious  letter  to  the 
rival  capitalist.  He  pointed  out  that  the  mineral 
resources  of  the  country  were  probably  great,  but  as 
yet  uncertain.  That  the  expense  of  crushing  and 
milling  might  be  almost  prohibitive.  That  access  to 
fuel  was  costly,  and  its  conveyance  difficult.  That 
water  was  scarce,  and  commanded  by  our  section. 
That  two  rival  companies,  if  they  happened  to  hit 
upon  ore,  might  cut  one  another's  throats  by  erecting 
two  sets  of  furnaces  or  pumping  plants,  and  bringing 
two  separate  streams  to  the  spot,  where  one  would 
answer.  In  short — to  employ  the  golden  word — 
that  amalgamation  might  prove  better  in  the  end 
than  competition  ;  and  that  he  advised,  at  least,  a 
conference  on  the  subject 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DRAWN  GAME 


III 


I  wrote  it  out  fair  for  iilii:,  and  Sir  Charles,  with 
the  air  of  a  Cromwell,  signed  it. 

*  This  is  important,  Sey,'  he  said.  '  It  had  better 
be  registered,  for  fear  of  falling  into  improper  hands. 
Don't  give  it  to  Dobson  ;  let 
Ccsarine  take  it  over  to  Fowlis 
in  the  dog-cart.* 

It  is  the  drawback  of 
Seldon  that  we  are  twelve 
miles  from  a  railway  station, 
thouf  ,  we  look  out  on  one  of 
the  loveliest  firths  in  Scotland. 

Ccsarine  took  it  as  directed 
— an  invaluable  servant,  that 
girl  !  Meanwhile,  we  learned 
from  the  Morning-  Post  next 
day  that  young  Mr.  Granton 
had  stolen  a  march  upon  us. 
He  had  arrived  from  Africa 
by  the  same  mail  with  our 
agent's  letter,  and  had  joined 
his  father  at  once  at  Glen- 
Ellachie. 

Two  days  later  we  received 
a  most  polite  reply  from  the 
opposing  interest.      It  ran  after  this 


m 


i 

i 

11 


CESARINE    TOOK    IT    AS    DIRKCTED. 


fashion  : — 


'  Craio-Rllachie  Lodge, 
*  Glen-Ellachie,  Invekness-shire. 


'Dear  Sir  Charles  Vandrift  —  Thanks  for 


i'ii 


113 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


yours  of  the  20th.  In  reply,  I  can  only  say  I  fully 
reciprocate  your  amiable  desire  that  nothing  adverse 
to  either  of  our  companies  should  happen  in  South 
Africa.  With  regard  to  your  suggestion  that  we 
should  meet  in  person,  to  discuss  the  basis  of  a 
possible  amalgamation,  I  can  only  say  my  house  is 
at  present  full  of  guests — as  is  doubtless  your  own 
— and  I  should  therefore  find  it  practically  im- 
possible to  leave  Glen-Ellachie.  Fortunately,  how- 
ever, my  son  David  is  now  at  home  on  a  brief 
holiday  from  Kimberley ;  and  it  will  give  him  great 
pleasure  to  come  over  and  hear  what  you  have  to 
say  in  favour  of  an  arrangement  which  certainly,  on 
some  grounds,  seems  to  me  desirable  in  the  interests 
of  both  our  concessions  alike.  He  will  arrive  to- 
morrow afternoon  at  Seldon,  and  he  is  authorised, 
in  every  respect,  to  negotiate  with  full  powers  on 
behalf  of  myself  and  the  other  directors.  With 
kindest  regards  to  your  wife  and  sons,  I  remain, 
dear  Sir  Charles,  yours  faithfully, 

'  Craig-Ellachie.' 
*  Cunning  old  fox !  *  Sir  Charles  exclaimed,  with 
a  sniff.  *  What's  he  up  to  now,  I  wonder  ?  Seems 
almost  as  anxious  to  amalgamate  as  we  ourselves 
are,  Sey.*  A  sudden  thought  struck  him.  *  Do  you 
know,'  he  cried,  looking  up,  '  I  really  believe  the 
same  thing  must  have  happened  to  both  our  exploring 
parties.  They  must  have  found  a  reef  that  goes 
under  our  ground,  and  the  wicked  old  rascal  wants 
to  cheat  us  out  of  it  T 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DRAWN  GAME 


"3 


*  As  we  want  to  cheat  him/  I  ventured  to  inter- 
pose. 

Charles  looked  at  me  fixedly.  '  Well,  if  so,  we're 
both  in  luck,*  he  murmured,  after  a  pause ;  '  though 
we  can  only  get  to  know  the  whereabouts  of  their 
find  by  joining  hands  with  them  and  showirg  them 
ours.  Still,  it's  good  business  either  way.  But  I 
shall  be  cautious — cautious.* 

*  What  a  nuisance !  *  Amelia  cried,  when  we  told 
her  of  the  incident.  *  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  put 
the  man  up  for  the  night — a  nasty,  raw-boned,  half- 
baked  Scotchman,  you  may  be  certain.' 

On  Wednesday  afternoon,  about  three,  young 
Granton  arrived.  He  was  a  pleasant-featured,  red- 
haired,  sandy-whiskered  youth,  not  unlike  his  father ; 
but,  strange  to  say,  he  dropped  in  to  call,  instead  of 
bringing  his  luggage. 

'Why,  you're  not  going  back  to  Glen-Ellachie 
to-night,  surely  ? '  Charles  exclaimed,  in  amaizement. 
'  Lady  Vandrift  will  be  so  disappointed  !  Besides, 
this  business  can't  be  arranged  between  two  trains, 
do  you  think,  Mr.  Granton  ?  * 

Young  Granton  smiled.  He  had  an  agreeable 
smile — canny,  yet  open. 

*0h  no,'  he  said  frankly.  'I  didn't  mean  to  go 
back.  I've  put  up  at  the  inn.  I  have  my  wife  with 
me,  you  know — and,  I  wasn't  invited.' 

Amelia  was  of  opinion,  when  we  told  her  this 
episode,  that  David  Granton  wouldn't  stop  at  Seldon 
because   he  was    an    Honourable.       Isabel   was   of 


i"    v,^-.toi;ajLLWLiii!.j.i  >jmm 


/ 


ii 


m 


114 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


opinion  he  wouldn't  stop  because  he  had  married  an 
unpresentable  young  woman  somewhere  out  in 
South  Africa.  Charles  was  of  opinion  that,  as 
representative  of  the  hostile  interest,  he  put  up  at 
the  inn,  because  it  might  tie  his  hands  in  some  way 
to  be  the  guest  of  the  chairman  of  the  rival  company. 
And  /  was  of  opinion  that  he  had  heard  of  the 
castle,  and  knew  it  well  by  report  as  the  dullest 
country-house  to  stay  at  in  Scotland. 

However  that  may  be,  young  Granton  insisted 
on  remaining  at  the  Cromarty  Arms,  though  he  told 
us  his  wife  would  be  delighted  to  receive  a  call  from 
Lady  Vandrift  and  Mrs.  Wcntworth.  So  we  all 
returned  with  him  to  bring  the  Honourable  Mrs. 
Granton  up  to  tea  at  the  Castle. 

She  was  a  nice  little  thing,  very  shy  and  timid, 
but  by  no  means  unpresentable,  and  an  evident  lady. 
She  giggled  at  the  end  of  every  sentence  ;  and  she 
was  endowed  with  a  slight  squint,  which  somehow 
seemed  to  point  all  her  feeble  sallies.  She  knew 
little  outside  South  Africa  ;  but  of  that  she  talked 
prettily  ;  and  she  won  all  our  hearts,  in  spite  of  the 
cast  in  her  eye,  by  her  unaffected  simplicity. 

Next  morning  Charles  and  I  had  a  regular 
debate  with  young  Granton  about  the  rival  options. 
Our  talk  was  of  cyanide  processes,  reverberatories, 
pennyweights,  water-jackets.  But  it  dawned  upon 
us  soon  that,  in  spite  of  his  red  hair  and  his  innocent 
manners,  our  friend,  the  Honourable  David  Granton, 
knew  a  thing  or  two.     Gradually  and  gracefully  he 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DRAWN  GAME 


"5 


let  us  sec  that  Lord  Craig-Ellachic  had  sent  him  for 
the  benefit  of  the  company,  but  that  Jie  had  come 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Honourable  David  Granton. 

*  I'm  a  younger  son,  Sir  Charles,'  he  said  ;  '  and 
therefore  I  have  to  feather  my  nest  for  myself  I 
know    the    ground.       My    father    will     be     guided 


SHE  WAS   ENDOWED  WITH   A   SLIGHT  SQUINT. 


implicitly  by  what  I  advise  in  the  matter.  We  are 
men  of  the  world.  Now,  let's  be  business-like. 
Yon  want  to  amalgamate.  You  wouldn't  do  that, 
of  course,  if  you  didn't  know  of  something  to  the 
advantage  of  my  father's  company — say,  a  lode  on 
our  land — which  you  hope  to  secure  for  yourself  by 
amalgamation.     Very    well ;  /   can    make    or    mar 


Ii6 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


H 


' 


your  project.  If  you  choose  to  render  it  worth  my 
while,  I'll  induce  my  father  and  his  directors  to 
amalgamate.  If  you  don't,  I  won't.  That's  the 
long  and  the  short  of  it  I  * 

Charles  looked  at  him  admiringly. 

*  Young  man,'  he  said,  '  you're  deep,  very  deep — 
for  your  age.  Is  this  candour — or  deception  ?  Do 
you  mean  what  you  say?  Or  do  you  know  some 
reason  why  it  suits  your  father's  book  to  amalgamate 
as  well  as  it  suits  mine  ?  And  arc  you  trying  to 
keep  it  from  me?*  He  fingered  his  chin.  *  If  I 
only  knew  that,'  he  went  on,  '  I  should  know  how  to 
deal  with  you.' 

Young  Granton  smiled  again.  *  You're  a  financier. 
Sir  Charles,'  he  answered.  '  I  wonder,  at  your  time 
of  life,  you  should  pause  to  ask  another  financier 
whether  he's  trying  to  fill  his  own  pocket — or  his 
father's.  Whatever  is  my  father's  goes  to  his  eldest 
son — and  /  am  his  youngest' 

'You  are  right  as  to  general  principles,'  Sir 
Charles  replied,  quite  affectionately.  *  Most  sound  and 
sensible.  But  how  do  I  know  you  haven't  bargained 
already  in  the  same  way  with  you-  father  ?  You  may 
have  settled  with  him^  and  be  trying  to  diddle  me.' 

The  young  man  assumed  a  most  candid  air. 
*  Look  here,*  he  said,  leaning  forward.  *  I  offer  you 
this  chance.  Take  it  or  leave  it.  Do  you  wish  to 
purchase  my  aid  for  this  amalgamation  by  a 
moderate  commission  on  the  net  value  of  my  father's 
option  to  yourself — which  I  know  approximately  ? ' 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DRAWN  GAME 


117 


*  Say  five  per  cent,'  I  suggested,  in  a  tentative 
voice,  just  to  justify  my  presence. 

He  looked  me  through  and  through.  '  Ten  is 
more  usual,'  he  answered,  in  a  peculiar  tone  and  with 
a  peculiar  glance. 

Great  heavens,  how  I  winced  !  I  knew  what  his 
words  meant.  They  were  the  very  words  I  had  said 
myself  to  Colonel  Clay,  as  the  Count  von  Lebenstein, 


TEN   IS   MORE   USUAL. 


about  the  purchase-money  of  the  schloss — and  in 
the  very  same  accent.  I  saw  through  it  all  now. 
That  beastly  cheque  !  This  was  Colonel  Clay  ;  and 
he  was  trying  to  buy  up  my  silence  and  assistance 
by  the  threat  of  exposure  ! 

My  blood  ran  cold.  I  didn't  know  how  to 
answer  him.  What  happened  at  the  rest  of  that 
interview  .  I  really  couldn't  tell  you.  My  brain 
reeled    round.      I  heard  just  faint  echoes   of  '  fuel ' 


i.i 


tit 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


and  *  reduction  works.'  What  on  earth  was  I  to  do  ? 
If  I  told  Charles  my  suspicion — for  it  was  only  a 
suspicion — the  fellow  might  turn  upon  me  and  dis- 
close the  cheque,  which  would  suffice  to  ruin  me. 
If  I  didn't,  I  ran  a  risk  of  being  considered  by 
Charles  an  accomplice  and  a  confederate. 

The  interview  was  long.  I  hardly  know  how  I 
struggled  through  it.  At  the  end  young  Granton 
went  off,  well  satisfied,  if  it  was  young  Granton  ;  and 
Amelia  invited  him  and  his  wife  up  to  dinner  at  the 
castle. 

Whatever  else  they  were,  they  were  capital 
company.  They  stopped  for  three  days  more  at 
the  Cromarty  Arms.  And  Charles  debated  and  dis- 
cussed incessantly.  He  couldn't  quite  make  up 
his  mind  what  to  do  in  the  affair ;  and  /  certainly 
couldn't  help  him.  I  never  was  placed  in  such  a 
fix  in  my  life.  I  did  my  best  to  preserve  a  strict 
neutrality. 

Young  Granton,  it  turned  out,  was  a  most 
agreeable  person  ;  and  so,  in  her  way,  was  that 
timid,  unpretending  South  African  wife  of  his. 
She  was  naively  surprised  Amelia  had  never  met 
her  mamma  at  Durban.  They  both  talked  delight- 
fully, and  had  lots  of  good  stories — mostly  with 
points  that  told  against  the  Craig- EUachie  people. 
Moreover,  the  Honourable  David  was  a  splendid 
swimmer.  He  went  out  in  a  boat  with  us,  and 
dived  like  a  seal.  He  was  burning  to  teach  Charles 
and   myself  to  swim,  when  we  told  him  we  could 


'  til 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DRAWN  GAME 


119 


neither  of  us  take  a  single  stroke  ;  he  said  it  was 
an  accomplishment  incumbent  upon  every  true 
Englishman.  But  Charles  hates  the  water  ;  while, 
as  for  myself,  I  detest  every  known  form  of  muscular 
exercise. 

However,  we  consented  that  he  should  row  us  on 
the  Firth,  and  made  an  appointment  one  day  with 
himself  and  his  wife  for  four  the  next  evening. 

That  night  Charles  came  to  me  with  a  very  grave 
face  in  my  own  bedroom.  '  Sey,'  he  said,  under  his 
breath,  *  have  you  observed  ?  Have  you  watched  ? 
Have  you  any  suspicions  ?  * 

I  trembled  violently.  I  felt  all  was  up. 
*  Suspicions  of  whom  ? '  I  asked.  *  Not  surely  of 
Simpson  ? '  (he  was  Sir  Charles's  valet). 

My  respected  brother-in-law  looked  at  me 
contemptuously. 

*  Sey,'  he  said,  '  are  you  trying  to  take  me  in  ? 
No,  not  of  Simpson  :  of  these  two  young  folks.  My 
own  belief  is — they're  Colonel  Clay  and  Madame 
Picardet' 

'  Impossible  ! '  I  cried. 

He  nodded.     '  I'm  sure  of  it' 

'  How  do  you  know  ?  * 

*  Instinctively.' 

i  seized  his  arm.  *  Charles,'  I  said,  imploring 
him,  *  do  nothing  rash.  Remember  how  you  exposed 
yourself  to  the  ridicule  of  fools  over  Dr.  Polperro  !  * 

*  I've  thought  of  that,'  he  answered,  '  and  I  mean 
to  ca'  caller.'     (When  in  Scotland  as  laird  of  Seldon, 


i  \ 


ISO 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


Charles  loves  both  to  dress  and  to  speak  the  part 
thoroughly.)  '  First  thing  to-morrow  ^  shall  telegraph 
over  to  inquire  at  Glen-Ellachic  ;  I  shall  find  out 
whether  this  is  really  young  Granton  or  not ;  mean- 
while, I  shall  keep  my  eye  close  up^.i  the  fellow.' 


A  GROOM   WAS   DISPATCHED  WITH 
A    TELEGRAM. 


Early  next  morning,  accordingly,  a  groom  was 
dispatchel  with  a  telegram  to  Lord  Craig-Ellachie. 
He  was  to  ride  over  to  Fowl  is,  send  it  off  at  once, 
and  wait  for  the  answer.  At  the  same  time,  as  it 
was  probable  Lord  Craig-Ellachie  would  have  started 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DRAWN  GAME 


121 


part 
aph 
out 
;an- 


was 
:hie. 
>nce, 
IS  it 
rted 


for  the  moors  before  the  telegram  reached  the  Lodge, 
I  did  not  myself  expect  to  see  the  reply  arrive  much 
before  seven  or  eight  that  evening.  Meanwhile,  as 
it  was  far  from  certain  we  had  not  the  real  David 
Granton  to  deal  w^th,  it  was  necessary  to  be  polite 
to  our  friendly  rivals.  Our  experience  in  the 
Polperro  incident  had  shown  us  both  that  too 
much  zeal  may  be  more  dangerous  than  too  little. 
Nevertheless,  taught  by  previous  misfortunes,  we 
kept  watching  our  man  pretty  close,  determined  that 
on  this  occasion,  at  least,  he  should  neither  do  us  nor 
yet  escape  us. 

About  four  o'clock  the  red-haired  young  man 
and  his  pretty  little  wife  came  up  to  call  for  us. 
She  looked  so  charming  and  squinted  so  enchantingly, 
one  could  hardly  believe  she  was  not  as  simple  and 
innocent  as  she  seemed  to  be.  She  tripped  down 
to  the  Seldon  boat-house,  with  Charles  by  her  side, 
giggling  and  squinting  her  best,  and  then  helped 
her  husband  to  get  the  skiff  ready.  As  she  did  so, 
Charles  sidled  up  to  me.  '  Sey,'  he  whispered,  '  I'm 
an  old  hand,  and  I'm  not  readily  taken  in.  I've 
been  talking  to  that  girl,  and  upon  my  soul  I  think 
she's  all  right.  She's  a  charming  little  lady.  We 
may  be  mistaken  after  all,  of  course,  about  young 
Granton.  In  any  case,  it's  well  for  the  present  to 
be  courteous.  A  most  important  option  I  If  it's 
really  he,  we  must  do  nothing  to  annoy  him  or  let 
him  see  we  suspect  him.' 

I    had    noticed,  indeed,  that    Mrs.    Granton  had 


Its 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


made  herself  most  agreeable  to  Charles  from  the 
very  beginning.  And  as  to  one  thing  he  was  right. 
In  her  timid,  shrinking  way  she  was  undeniably 
charming.  That  cast  in  her  eye  was  all  pure 
piquancy. 

We  rowed  out  on  to  the  Firth,  or,  to  be  more 
strictly  correct,  the  two  Grantons  rowed  while 
Charles  and  I  sat  and  leaned  back  in  the  stern  on 
the  luxurious  cushions.  They  rowed  fast  and  well. 
In  a  very  few  minutes  they  had  rounded  the  point 
and  got  clear  out  of  sight  of  the  Cockneyficd  towers 
and  false  battlements  of  Seldon. 

Mrs.  Granton  pulled  stroke.  Even  as  she  rowed 
she  kept  up  a  brisk  undercurrent  of  timid  chaff  with 
Sir  Charles,  giggling  all  the  while,  half  forward,  half 
shy,  like  a  school -girl  who  flirts  with  a  man  old 
enough  to  be  her  grandfather. 

Sir  Charles  was  flattered.  K"=^  is  susceptible  to 
the  pleasures  of  female  attention.,  especially  from 
the  young,  the  simple,  and  the  innocent.  The  wiles 
of  women  of  the  world  he  knows  too  well ;  but  a 
pretty  little  inginue  can  twist  him  round  her  finger. 
They  rowed  on  and  on,  till  they  drew  abreast  of 
Seamew's  island.  It  is  a  jagged  stack  or  skerry, 
well  out  to  sea,  very  wild  and  precipitous  on  the 
landward  side,  but  shelving  gently  outward  ;  perhaps 
an  acre  in  extent,  with  steep  gray  cliffs,  covered  at 
that  time  with  crimson  masses  of  red  valerian.  Mrs. 
Granton  rowed  up  close  to  it.  '  Oh,  what  lovely 
flowers  1 '   she    cried,  throwing   her   head  back   and 


M 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DRAWN  GAME 


133 


gazing  at  them.  '  I  wish  I  could  ^ct  some  !  Let's 
land  here  and  pick  them.  Sir  Charles,  you  shall 
gather  me  a  nice  bunch  for  my  sittinjj-room.* 

Charles  rose  to  it  innocently,  like  a  trout  to  a 
fly. 

'  By  all  means,  my  dear  child,  I — I  have  a 
passion  for  flowers;'  which  was  a  flower  of  speech 
itself,  but  it  served  its  purpose. 

They  rowed  us  round  to  the  far  side,  where  is  the 
easiest  landing-place.  It  struck  mc  as  odd  at  the 
moment  that  they  seemed  to  know  it.  Then  young 
Granton  jumped  lightly  ashore  ;  Mrs.  Granton  skipped 
after  him.  I  confess  it  made  me  feel  rather  ashamed 
to  see  how  clumsily  Charles  and  I  followed  them, 
treading  gingerly  on  the  thwarts  for  fear  of  upsetting 
the  boat,  while  the  artless  young  thing  just  flew 
over  the  gunwale.  So  like  White  Heather  I  How- 
ever, we  got  ashore  at  last  in  safety,  and  began  to 
climb  the  rocks  as  well  as  we  were  able  in  search  of 
the  valerian. 

Judge  of  our  astonishment  when  next  moment 
those  two  young  people  bounded  back  into  the 
boat,  pushed  off  with  a  peal  of  merry  laughter,  and 
left  us  there  staring  at  them  ! 

They  rowed  away,  about  twenty  yards,  into  deep 
water.  Then  the  man  turned,  and  waved  his  hand 
at  us  gracefully.  '  Good-bye  ! '  he  s.iid,  '  good-bye  1 
Hope  you'll  pick  a  nice  bunch !  We're  off  to 
London  I ' 

'Off!'  Charles  exclaimed,  turning   pale.     'Off! 


134 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


What  do  you  mean  ?  You  don't  surely  mean  to  say 
you're  going  to  leave  us  here  ?  * 

The  young  man  raised  his  cap  with  perfect 
politeness,  while  Mrs.  Granton  smiled,  nodded,  and 
kissed  her  pretty  hand  to  us.  '  Yes,'  he  answered  ; 
*  for  the  present.  We  retire  from  the  game.  The 
fact  of  it  is,  it's  a  trifle  too  thin  :  this  is  a  coup 
inanqui^ 

'A  what?*  Charles  exclaimed,  perspiring  visibly. 

*  A  coup  manqu^*  the  young  man  replied,  with  a 
compassionate  smile.  *  A  failure,  don't  you  know ; 
a  bad  shot ;  a  fiasco.  I  learn  from  my  scouts  that 
you  sent  a  telegram  by  special  messenger  to  Lord 
Craig- Ellachie  this  morning.  That  shows  you 
suspect  me.  Now,  it  is  a  principle  of  my  system 
never  to  go  on  for  one  move  with  a  game  when  I 
find  myself  suspected.  The  slightest  symptom  of 
distrust,  and — I  back  out  immediately.  My  plans 
can  only  be  worked  to  satisfaction  when  there  is 
perfect  confidence  on  the  part  of  my  patient.  It  is 
a  well-known  rule  of  the  medical  profession.  I  never 
try  to  bleed  a  man  who  struggles.  So  now  we're 
off.     Ta-ta  !    Good  luck  to  you  1  * 

He  was  not  much  more  than  twenty  yards  away, 
and  could  talk  to  us  quite  easily.  But  the  water 
was  deep ;  the  islet  rose  sheer  from  I'm  sure  I  don't 
know  how  many  fathoms  of  sea ;  and  wc  could 
neither  of  us  swim.  Charles  stretched  out  his  arms 
imploringly.  *  For  Heaven's  sake,'  he  cried,  '  don't 
tell  me  you  really  mean  to  leave  us  hera'  * 


Till-:  EPISODE  OF  THE  DRAWN  GAME 


12S 


He  looked  so  comical  in  his  distress  and  terror 
that  Mrs.  Granton — Madame  Picardct — whatever  I 
am  to  call  her — laughed  melodiously  in  her  prettiest 
way  at  the  sight  of  him.  *  Dear  Sir  Charles/  she 
called  out,  'pray  don't  be  afraid  !      It's  only  a  short 


and  temporary  imprisonment.  We  will  send  men 
to  take  you  off.  Dcir  David  and  I  only  need  just 
time  enough  to  get  well  ashore  and  make — oh  !— 
a  few  slight  alterations  in  our  personal  appearance.' 
And  she  indicated  with  her  hand,  laughing,  dear 
David's  red  wig  and  false  sandy  whiskers,  as  we  felt 


.  I 


'  ^1*"" wiMfl ilfilH HitiM 


if 


ia6 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


convinced  they  must  be  now.  She  looked  at  them 
and  tittered.  Her  manner  at  this  moment  was 
anything  but  shy.  In  fact,  I  will  venture  to  say, 
it  was  that  of  a  bold  and  brazen-faced  hoyden. 

*  Then  you  are  Colonel  Clay  I '  Sir  Charles  cried, 
mopping  his  brow  with  his  handkerchief. 

*  If  you  choose  to  call  me  so,'  the  young  man 
answered  politely.  *  I'm  sure  it's  most  kind  of  you 
to  supply  me  with  a  commission  in  Her  Majesty's 
service.  However,  time  presses,  and  we  want  to 
push  off.  Don't  alarm  yourselves  unnecessarily.  I 
will  send  a  boat  to  take  you  away  from  this  rock  at 
the  earliest  possible  moment  consistent  with  my 
personal  safety  and  my  dear  companion's.*  He  laid 
his  hand  on  his  heart  and  struck  a  sentimental 
attitude.  '  I  have  received  too  many  unwilling 
kindnesses  at  your  hands,  Sir  Charles,'  he  continued, 
•  not  to  feel  how  wrong  it  would  be  of  me  to  in- 
convenience you  for  nothing.  Rest  assured  that  you 
shall  be  rescued  by  midnight  at  latest.  Fortunately, 
the  weather  just  at  present  is  warm,  and  1  see 
no  chance  of  rain  ;  so  you  will  suffer,  if  at  all, 
from  nothing  worse  than  the  pangs  of  temporary 
hunger.' 

Mrs.  Granton,  no  longer  squinting — 'twas  a  mere 
trick  she  had  assumed — rose  up  in  the  boat  and 
stretched  out  a  rug  to  us.  '  Catch  ! '  she  cried,  in  a 
merry  voice,  and  flung  it  at  us,  doubled.  It  fell  at 
our  feet ;  she  was  a  capital  thrower. 

'  Now,  you  dear  Sir  Charles,*  she  went  on,  *  take 


-I     : 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DRAWN  GAME 


127 


that  to  keep  you  warm !  You  know  I  am  really 
quite  fond  of  you.  You're  not  half  ^  bad  old  boy 
when  one  takes  you  the  right  way.  You  have  a 
human  side  to  you.  Why,  I  often  wear  that  sweetly 
pretty  brooch  you  gave  me  at  Nice,  when  I  was 
riadame  Picardet !  And  I'm  sure  your  goodness 
to  me  at  Lucerne,  when  I  was  the  little  curate's 
wife,  is  a  thing  to  remember.  We're  so  glad  to 
have  seen  you  in  your  lovely  Scotch  home  you  were 
always  so  proud  of!  Doiit  be  frightened,  please. 
We  wouldn't  hurt  you  for  worlds.  We  are  so  sorry 
we  have  to  take  this  inhospitable  means  of  evading 
you.  But  dear  David — I  must  call  him  dear  David 
still — instinctively  felt  that  you  were  beginning  to 
suspect  us ;  and  he  can't  bear  mistrust.  He  is  so 
sensitive!  The  moment  people  mistrust  him,  he 
must  break  off  with  them  at  once.  This  was  the 
only  way  to  get  you  both  off  our  hands  while  we 
make  the  needful  little  arrangements  to  depart ;  and 
we've  been  driven  to  avail  ourselves  of  it.  How- 
ever, I  will  give  you  my  word  of  honour,  as  a  lady, 
you  shall  be  fetched  away  to-night.  If  dear  David 
doesn't  do  it,  why,  I'll  do  it  myjelf.'  And  she  blew 
another  kiss  to  us. 

Charles  was  half  beside  himself,  divided  between 
alternate  terror  and  anger.  '  Oh,  v/e  hall  die  here  !  * 
he  exclaimed.  *  Nobody'd  ever  dream  of  coming  to 
this  rock  to  search  for  me.' 

'  What  a  pity  you  didn't  let  me  teach  you  to 
swim ! '   Colonel   Clay   interposed.     *  It   is   a   noble 


tmitaaMm 


128 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


exercise,  and  very  useful  indeed  in  such  special 
emergencies!  Well,  ta-ta !  I'm  off!  You  nearly 
scored  one  this  time  ;  but,  by  putting  you  here  for 
the   moment,   and   keeping    you   till    we're   gone,   I 


CHARLES  WAS  HALF  BESIDE  HIMSELF. 


venture  to  say  I've  redressed  the  board,  and  I  think 
we  may  count  it  a  drawn  game,  mayn't  we  ?  The 
match  stands  at  fAree,  love — with  some  thousands  in 
pocket  ?  * 

'  You're  a  murderer,  sir  I '   Charles   shrieked   out. 
'  We  shall  starve  or  die  here  ! ' 


^    i 


\ 


tL' 


in 


V       ( 


^' 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DRAWN  GAME 


129 


Colonel  Clay  on  his  side  was  all  sweet  reason- 
ableness. *  Now,  my  dear  sir,'  he  expostulated,  one 
hand  held  palm  outward,  '  do  you  think  it  probable 
I  would  kill  the  goose  that  lays  the  golden  eggs, 
with  so  little  compunction?  No,  no,  Sir  Charles 
Vandrift ;  I  know  too  well  how  much  you  are  worth 
to  me.  I  return  you  on  my  income-tax  paper  as 
five  thousand  a  year,  clear  profit  of  my  profession. 
Suppose  you  were  to  die !  I  might  be  compelled  to 
find  some  new  and  far  less  lucrative  source  of 
plunder.  Your  heirs,  executors,  or  assignees  might 
not  suit  my  purpose.  The  fact  of  it  is,  sir,  your 
temperament  and  mine  are  exactly  adapted  one  to 
the  other.  /  understand  you;  and  you  do  not 
understand  me — which  is  often  the  basis  of  the 
firmest  friendships.  I  can  catch  you  just  where 
you  are  trying  to  catch  other  people.  Your  very 
smartness  assists  me ;  for  I  admit  you  are  smart. 
As  a  regular  financier,  I  allow,  I  couldn't  hold  a 
candle  to  you.  But  in  my  humbler  walk  of  life  I 
know  just  how  to  utilise  you.  I  lead  you  on, 
where  you  think  you  are  going  to  gain  some 
advantage  over  others ;  and  by  dexterously  playing 
upon  your  love  of  a  good  bargain,  your  innate 
desire  to  best  somebody  else — I  succeed  in  besting 
you.  There,  sir,  you  have  the  philosophy  of  our 
mutual  relations.' 

He  bowed  and  raised  his  cap.  Charles  looked 
at  him  and  cowered.  Yes,  genius  as  he  is,  he 
positively  cowered.     'And   do   you  mean  to  say/ 


K 


.    W'I»«li,«,Kiua,»,M 


130 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


I ; 


\\ 


he   burst   out,   'you   intend   to  go  on  so  bleedir'g 
me?' 

The  Colonel  smiled  a  bland  smile.  *  Sir  Charles 
Vandrift,'  he  answered,  *  I  called  you  just  now  the 
goose  that  lays  the  golden  eggs.  You  may  have 
thought  the  metaphor  a  rude  one.  But  you  au 
a  goose,  you  know,  in  certain  relations.  Smartest 
man  on  the  Stock  Exchange,  I  readily  admit ; 
easiest  fool  to  bamboozle  in  the  open  country  that 
ever  I  met  with.  You  fail  in  one  thing — the  per- 
spicacity of  simplicity.  For  that  reason,  among 
others,  I  have  chosen  to  fasten  upon  you.  Regard 
me,  my  dear  sir,  as  a  microbe  of  millionaires,  a 
parasite  upon  capitalists.  You  know  the  old 
rhyme : 

Great  fleas  have  little  fleas  upon  their  backs  to  bite  *em. 
And  these  again  have  lesser  fleas,  and  so  ad  infinitum  / 

Well,  that's  just  how  I  view  myself.  You  are  a 
capitalist  and  a  millionaire.  In  your  large  way  you 
prey  upon  society.  You  deal  in  Corners,  Options, 
Concessions,  Syndicates.  You  drain  the  world  dry 
of  its  blood  and  its  money.  You  possess,  like  the 
mosquito,  a  beautiful  instrument  of  suction — 
Founders'  Shares  —  with  which  you  absorb  the 
surplus  wealth  of  the  community.  In  my  smaller 
way,  again,  /  relieve  you  in  turn  of  a  portion  of  the 
plunder.  I  am  a  Robin  Hood  of  my  age ;  and, 
looking  upon  you  as  an  exceptionally  bad  form  of 
millionaire — as  well  as  an  exceptionally  easy  form 


f> 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DRAWN  GAME 


131 


of  pigeon  for  a  man  of  my  type  and  talents  to  pluck 
— I  have,  so  to  speak,  taken  up  my  abode  upon 
you.' 

Charles  looked  at  him  and  groaned. 

The  young  man  continued,  in  a  tone  of  gentle 
badinage.  '  I  love  the  plot-interest  of  the  game,'  he 
said,  *  and  so  does  dear  Jessie  here.  We  both  of  us 
adore  it.  As  long  as  I  find  such  good  pickings  upon 
you,  I  certainly  am  not  going  to  turn  away  from 
so  valuable  a  carcass,  in  order  to  batten  myself,  at 
considerable  trouble,  upon  minor  capitalists,  out  of 
whom  it  is  difficult  to  extract  a  few  hundreds.  It 
may  have  puzzled  you  to  guess  why  I  fix  upon  you 
so  persistently.  Now  you  know,  and  understand. 
When  a  fluke  finds  a  sheep  that  suits  him,  that  fluke 
lives  upon  him.  You  are  my  host :  I  am  your 
parasite.  This  coup  has  failed.  But  don't  flatter 
yourself  for  a  moment  it  will  be  the  last  one.' 

'Why  do  you  insult  me  by  telling  me  all  this?' 
Sir  Charles  cried,  writhing. 

The  Colonel  waved  his  hand.  It  was  small  and 
white.  '  Because  I  love  the  game,'  he  answered,  with 
a  relish ;  *  and  also,  because  the  more  prepared 
you  are  beforehand,  the  greater  credit  and  amuse- 
ment is  there  in  besting  you.  Well,  now,  ta-ta  once 
more  !  I  am  wasting  valuable  time.  I  might  be 
cheating  somebody.  I  must  be  off  at  once.  .  .  . 
Take  care  of  yourself,  Wentworth.  But  I  know 
you  will.  You  always  do.  Ten  per  cent  is  more 
usual  I ' 


132 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


.ii 


Ui 


He  rowed  away  and  left  us.  As  the  boat  began 
to  disappear  round  the  corner  of  the  island,  White 
Heather — so  she  looked — stood  up  in  the  stern  and 
shouted  aloud  through  her  pretty  hands  to  us.  '  By- 
bye,  dear  Sir  Charles  ! '  she  cried.  '  Do  wrap  the  rug 
around  you  !     I'll  send  the  men  to  fetch  you  as  soon 


I    CLIMBED    TO   TIIK    TOP   OP  THE    CLIFF. 

as  ever  I  possibly  can.     And  thank  you  so  much  for 
those  lovely  Howcrs  ! ' 

The  boat  rounded  the  crags.  We  were  alone  on 
the  island.  Charles  flung  himself  on  the  bare  rock 
in  a  wild  access  of  despondency.  1  le  is  accustomed 
to  luxury,  and  cannot  get  on  without  his  padded 
cushions.     As    for    myself,    I    climbed    with    some 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DRAWN  GAME 


133 


difficulty  to  the  top  of  the  cliff,  landward,  and  tried 
to  make  signals  of  distress  with  my  handkerchief  to 
some  passer-by  on  the  mainland.  All  in  vain. 
Charles  had  dismissed  the  crofters  on  the  estate ; 
and,  as  the  shooting-party  that  day  was  in  an 
opposite  direction,  not  a  soul  was  near  to  whom  we 
could  call  for  succour. 

I  climbed  down  again  to  Charles.  The  evening 
came  on  slowly.  Cries  of  sea-birds  rang  weird  upon 
the  water.  Puffins  and  cormorants  circled  round 
our  heads  in  the  gray  of  twilight.  Charles  suggested 
that  they  might  even  swoop  down  upon  us  and  bite 
us.  They  did  not,  however,  but  their  flapping  wings 
added  none  the  less  a  painful  touch  of  eeriness  to 
our  hunger  and  solitude.  Charles  was  horribly 
depressed.  For  myself,  I  will  confess  I  felt  so  mucii 
relieved  at  the  fact  that  Colonel  Clay  had  not 
openly  betrayed  me  in  the  matter  of  the  commission, 
as  to  be  comparatively  comfortable. 

We  crouched  on  the  hard  crag.  About  eleven 
o'clock  we  heard  human  voices.  *  Boat  ahoy !  *  I 
shouted.  An  answering  shout  aroused  us  to  action. 
We  rushed  down  to  the  landing-place  and  cooee'd 
for  the  men,  to  show  them  where  we  were.  They 
came  up  at  once  in  Sir  Charles's  own  boat.  They 
were  fishermen  from  Niggarey,  on  the  shore  of  the 
Firth  opposite. 

A  lady  and  gentleman  had  sent  them,  they  said, 
to  return  the  boat  and  call  for  us  on  the  island ; 
their  description  corresponded  to  the  two  supposed 


134 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


Grantons.  They  rowed  us  home  almost  in  silence 
to  Seldon.  It  was  half-past  twelve  by  the  gatehouse 
clock  when  we  reached  the  castle.  Men  had  been 
sent  along  the  coast  each  way  to  seek  us.  Amelia 
had  gone  to  bed,  much  alarmed  for  our  safety.  Isabel 
was  sitting  up.  It  was  too  late,  of  course,  to  do  much 
that  night  in  the  way  of  apprehending  the  miscreants, 
though  Charles  insisted  upon  dispatching  a  groom, 
with  a  telegram  for  the  polic^s^  at  Inverness,  to  Fowlis. 

Nothing  came  of  it  all.  A  message  awaited  us 
from  Lord  Craig-Ellachie,  to  be  sure,  saying  that  his 
son  had  not  left  Glen-EUachie  Lodge  ;  while  research 
the  next  day  and  later  showed  that  our  correspondent 
had  never  even  received  our  letter.  An  empty 
envelope  alone  had  arrived  at  the  house,  and  the 
postal  authorities  had  been  engaged  meanwhile,  with 
their  usual  lightning  speed,  in  *  investigating  the 
matter.*  C^sarine  had  posted  the  letter  herself  at 
Fowlis,  and  brought  back  the  receipt ;  so  the  only 
conclusion  we  could  draw  was  this — Colonel  Clay 
must  be  in  league  with  somebody  at  the  post-office. 
As  for  Lord  Craig-Ellachie's  reply,  that  was  a  simple 
forgery  ;  though,  oddly  enough,  it  was  written  on 
Glen-Ellachie  paper. 

However,  by  the  time  Charles  had  eaten  a  couple 
of  grouse,  and  drunk  a  bottle  of  his  excellent 
Rudesheimer,  his  spirits  and  valour  revived  exceed- 
ingly. Doubtless  he  inherits  from  his  Boer  ancestry 
a  tendency  towards  courage  of  the  Batavian  descrip- 
tion.    He  was  in  capital  feather. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  DRAWN  GAME 


^3S 


'  After  all,  Scy,'  he  said,  leaning  back  in  his  chair, 
*  this  time  we  score  one.  lie  has  no/  done  us  brown  ; 
we  have  at  least  detected  him.  To  detect  him  in 
time  is  half-way  to  catching  him.  Only  the  remote- 
ness of  our  position  at  Seldon  Castle  saved  him  from 
capture.  Next  set-to,  I  feel  sure,  we  will  not  merely 
spot  him,  we  will  also  nab  him.  I  only  wish  he 
would  try  on  such  a  rig  in  London.' 


i'/''-^*.,. /^. 


HIS    SPIRITS    RF.VIVED. 

But  the  oddest  part  of  it  all  was  this,  that  from 
the  moment  those  two  people  landed  at  Niggare^ , 
and  told  the  fishermen  there  were  some  gentlemen 
stranded  on  the  Seamcw's  island,  all  trace  of  them 
vanished.  At  no  station  along  the  line  could  we 
gain  any  news  of  them.  Their  maid  had  left  the 
inn  the  same  morning  with  their  luggage,  and  wc 
tracked  her  to  Inverness  ;  but  there  the  trail  stopped 


'36 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


short,  no  spoor  lay  farther.  It  was  a  most  singular 
and  insoluble  mystery. 

Charles  lived  in  hopes  of  catching  his  man  in 
London. 

But  for  my  part,  I  felt  there  was  a  show  of  reason 
in  one  last  taunt  which  the  rascal  flung  back  at  us 
as  the  boat  receded  :  '  Sir  Charles  Vandrift,  we  are 
a  pair  of  rogues.  The  law  protects  you.  It 
persecutes  me.     That's  all  the  difference.* 


VI 


THE    EPISODE    OF   THE   GERMAN    PROFESSOR 


That  winter  in  town  my  respected  brother-in-law 
had  little  time  on  his  hands  to  bother  himself  about 
trifles  like  Colonel  Clay.  A  thunderclap  burst  upon 
him.  He  saw  his  chief  interest  in  South  Africa 
threatened  by  a  serious,  an  unexpected,  and  a 
crushing  danger. 

Charles  does  a  little  in  gold,  and  a  little  in  land  ; 
but  his  principal  operations  have  always  lain  in  the 
direction  of  diamonds.  Only  once  in  my  life, 
indeed,  have  I  seen  him  pay  the  slightest  attention 
to  poetry,  and  that  was  when  I  happened  one  day 
to  recit'j  the  lines  : — 

Full  many  a  gem  of  purest  ray  serene 
The  dark,  unfathomed  caves  of  ocean  bear. 

He  rubbed  his  hands  at  once  and  murmured 
enthusiastically,  *  I  never  thought  of  that.  We 
might  get  up  an  Atlantic  Exploration  Syndicate, 
Limited.'  So  attached  is  he  to  diamonds.  You 
may  gather,  therefore,  what  a  shock  it  was  to  that 
gigantic   brain   to    learn    that   science   was    rapidly 


1.38 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


reaching  a  point  where  his  favourite  gems  might 
become  all  at  once  a  mere  drug  in  the  market. 
Depreciation  is  the  one  bugbear  that  perpetually 
torments  Sir  Charles's  soul  ;  that  winter  he  stood 
within  measurable  distance  of  so  appalling  a 
calamity. 

It  happened  after  this  manner. 

We  vrre  strolling  along  Piccadilly  towards 
Charles's  chib  one  afternoon — he  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Crcesus,  in  Pall  Mall — when,  near 
Burlington  House,  whom  should  we  happen  to  knock 
up  against  but  Sir  Adolphus  Cordery,  the  famous 
mineralogist,  and  leading  spirit  of  the  Royal  Society  ! 
He  nodded  to  us  pleasantly.  *  Halloa,  Vandrift,*  he 
cried,  in  his  peculiarly  loud  and  piercing  voice; 
*  you're  the  very  man  I  wanted  to  meet  to-day. 
Good  morning,  Wentworth.  Well,  how  about  dia- 
monds now,  Sir  Gorgius?  You'll  have  to  sing 
small.  It's  all  up  with  you  Midases.  Heard  about 
this  marvellous  new  discovery  of  Schleiermacher's? 
It's  calculated  to  make  you  diamond  kings  squirm 
like  an  eel  in  a  frying-pan.' 

I  could  see  Charles  wriggle  inside  his  clothes. 
He  was  most  uncomfortable.  That  a  man  like 
Cordery  should  say  such  things,  in  so  loud  a  voice, 
on  no  matter  how  little  foundation,  openly  in  Picca- 
dilly, was  enough  in  itself  to  make  a  sensitive 
barometer  such  as  Cloetedorp  Golcondas  go  down  a 
point  or  two. 

'  Hush,  hush  1 '    Charles   said   solemnly,  in  that 


lia 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GERMAN  PROFESSOU      139 

awed  tone  of  voice  which  he  always  assumes  when 
Money  is  blasphemed  against.  ^Please  don't  talk 
quite  so  loud  !     All  London  can  hear  you.' 

Sir  Adolphus  ran  his  arm  through  Charles's  most 
amicably.  There's  nothing  Charles  hates  like  having 
his  arm  taken. 

*  Come  along  with  me  to  the  Athenaeum,'  he  went 
on,  in  the  same  stentor*ati  voice,  *  and  I'll  teU  you 
all  about  it  Most  interesting  discovery.  Makes 
diamonds  cheap  as  dirt.  Calculated  to  supersede 
South  Africa  altogether.' 

Charles  allowed  himself  to  be  dragged  along. 
There  was  nothing  else  possible.  Sir  Adolphus 
continued,  in  a  somewhat  lower  key,  induced  upon 
him  by  Charles's  mute  look  of  protest.  It  was  a 
disquieting  story.  He  told  it  with  gleeful  unction. 
It  seems  that  Professor  Schleiermacher,  of  Jena,  '  the 
greatest  living  authority  on  the  chemistry  of  gems,' 
he  said,  had  lately  invented,  or  claimed  to  have  in- 
vented, a  system  for  artificially  producing  diamonds, 
which  had  yielded  most  surprising  and  unexception- 
able results. 

Charles's  lip  curled  slightly.  *  Oh,  I  know  the 
sort  of  thing,'  he  said.  '  I've  heard  of  it  before. 
Very  inferior  stones,  quite  small  and  worthless,  pro- 
duced at  immense  cost,  and  even  then  not  worth 
looking  at  I'm  an  old  bird,  you  know,  Cordery  ; 
not  to  be  caught  with  chaff.     Tell  me  a  better  one !' 

Sir  Adolphus  produced  a  small  cut  gem  from  his 
pocket.     *  How's  that  fc   the   first  water  ?  *   he  in- 


K  ^1 


11;  *\ 

'4  >l 


.■"i  11 


I 


14 


140 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


quired,  passing  it  across,  with  a  broad  smile,  to  the 
sceptic.  *  Made  under  my  own  eyes  —  and  quite 
inexpensively !  * 

Charles  examined  it  close,  stopping  short  against 
the  railings  in  St.  James's  Square  to  look  at  it  with 
liis  pocket-lens.  There  was  no  denying  the  truth. 
It  was  a  capital  small  gem  of  the  finest  quality. 

*  Made  under  your  own  eyes  ?  *  he  exclaimed,  still 
incredulous.     *  Where,,  my  dear  sir  ? — at  Jena  ?  * 

The  answer  was  a  thunderbolt  from  a  blue  sky. 
*  No,  here  in  London  ;  last  night  as  ever  was  ;  before 
myself  and  Dr.  Gray  ;  and  about  to  be  exhibited 
by  the  President  himself  at  a  meeting  of  Fellows  of 
the  Royal  Society.* 

Charles  drew  a  long  breath.  'This  nonsense 
must  be  stopped,*  he  said  firmly — *  it  must  be  nipped 
in  the  bud.  It  won't  do,  my  dear  friend  ;  we  Ci*n*t 
have  such  tampering  with  important  Interests.* 

*  How  do  you  mean  ? '  Cordery  asked,  astonished. 
Charles  gazed   at  him  steadily.     I  could  see  by 

the  furtive  gleam  in  my  brother-in-law's  eye  he  was 
distinctly  frightened.  *  Where  t's  the  fellow  ?  *  he 
asked.  '  Did  he  come  himself,  or  send  over  a 
deputy  ?  * 

*  Here  in  London,*  Sir  Adolphus  replied.  *  He's 
staying  at  my  house  ;  and  he  says  he'll  be  glad  to 
show  his  experiments  to  anybody  scientifically  inter- 
ested in  diamonds.  We  propose  to  have  a  demon- 
stration of  the  process  to-night  at  Lancaster  Gate. 
Will  you  drop  in  and  see  it  ? ' 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GERMAN  PROFESSOR       141 

Would  he  *  drop  in '  and  see  it  ?  '  Drop  in  '  at 
such  a  function  !  Could  he  possibly  stop  away  ? 
Charles  clutched   the   enemy's  arm  with  a  nervous 


n 


THIS  NONSENSE  MUST  BE   STOPPED,   HE  SAID. 


"A? 


grip.  '  Look  here,  Cordery,'  he  said,  quivering ; 
'this  is  a  question  affecting  very  important  Interests. 
Don't  do  anything  rash.  Don't  do  anything  foolish. 
Remember   that    Shares   may   rise  or  fall  on  this. 


142 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


He  said  *  Shares '  in  a  tone  of  profound  respect  that 
I  can  hardly  even  indicate.  It  was  the  crucial  word 
in  the  creed  of  his  religion. 

*  I  should  think  it  very  probable/  Sir  Adolphus 
replied,  with  the  callous  indifference  of  the  mere 
man  of  science  to  financial  suffering. 

Sir  Charles  was  bland,  but  peremptory.  *  Now, 
obsvirve,'  he  said,  *a  grave  responsibility  rests  on 
your  shoulders.  The  Market  depends  upon  you. 
You  must  not  ask  in  any  number  of  outsiders  to 
witness  these  experiments.  Have  a  few  mineral- 
ogists and  experts,  if  you  like  ;  but  also  take  care  to 
invite  representatives  of  the  menaced  Interests.  I 
will  come  myself — I'm  engaged  to  dine  out,  but  I 
can  contract  an  indisposition  ;  and  I  should  advise 
you  to  ask  Mosenheimer,  and,  say,  young  Phipson. 
They  would  staiid  for  the  mines,  as  you  nd  the 
mineralogists  would  stand  for  science.  Above 
all,  don't  blab ;  for  Heaven's  sake,  let  there  be 
no  premature  gossip.  Tell  Schleiermacher  not 
to  go  gassing  and  boasting  of  his  success  all  over 
London.' 

*  We  are  keeping  the  matter  a  profound  secret,  at 
Schleiermacher's  own  request,'  Cordery  answered, 
more  seriously. 

*  Which  is  why,*  Charles  said,  in  his  severest  tone, 
'  you  bawled  it  out  at  the  very  top  of  your  voice  in 
Piccadilly ! ' 

However,  before  nightfall,  everything  was  arranged 
to  Charles's  satisfaction  ;   and  off  we  went  to  Lan- 


n- 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GERMAN  PROFESSOR      143 

_      I  —  ' 

caster  Gate,  with  a  profound  expectation   that  the 
German  professor  would  do  nothing  worth  seeing. 

He  was  a  remarkable-looking  man,  once  tall,  I 
should  say,  from  his  long,  thin  build,  but  now  bowed 
and  bent  with  long  devotion  to  study  and  leaning 
over  a  crucible.  His  hair,  prematurely  white,  hung 
down  upon  his  forehead,  but  his  eye  was  keen  and 
his  mouth  sagacious.  He  shook  hands  cordially 
with  the  men  of  science,  whom  he  seemed  to  know 
of  old,  whilst  he  bowed  somewhat  distantly  to  the 
South  African  interest.  Then  he  began  to  talk,  in 
very  German-English,  helping  out  the  sense  now  and 
again,  where  his  vocabulary  failed  him,  by  waving 
his  rather  dirty  and  chemical-stained  hands  demon- 
stratively about  him.  His  nails  were  a  sight,  but 
his  fingers,  I  must  say,  had  the  delicate  shape  of  a 
man's  accustomed  to  minute  manipulation.  He 
plunged  at  once  into  the  thick  of  the  matter,  telling 
us  briefly  in  his  equally  thick  accent  that  he  'now 
brobosed  by  his  new  brocess  to  make  for  us  some 
goot  and  sadisfactory  tiamonds.* 

He  brought  out  his  apparatus,  and  explained — 
or,  as  he  said,  *  eggsblained ' — his  novel  method. 
'  Tiamonds,*  he  said,  '  were  nozzing  but  pure  crystal- 
line carbon.  He  knew  how  to  crystallise  it — zat 
was  all  ze  secret.'  The  men  of  science  examined  the 
pots  and  pans  carefully.  Then  he  put  in  a  certain 
number  of  raw  materials,  and  went  to  work  with 
ostentatious  openness.  There  were  three  distinct 
processes,  and  he  made  two  stones  by  each  simul- 


144 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


tancously.  The  remarkable  part  of  his  methods,  he 
said,  was  their  rapidity  and  their  cheapness.  In 
three-quarters  of  an  hour  (and  he  smiled  sardoni- 
cally) he  could  produce  a  diamond  worth  at  current 
prices  two  hundred  pounds  sterling.  *  .  Vs  you  shall 
now  see  me  berform,'  he  remarked,  *  viz  zis  simple 
abbaradus.' 


THE   SCIENTIFIC   MEN   CRANED   THEIR    NECKS   IN   THEIR   EAGERNESS. 

The  materials  fizzed  and  fumed.  The  Professor 
stirred  them.  An  unpleasant  smell  like  burnt 
feathers  pervaded  the  room.  The  scientific  men 
craned  their  necks  in  their  eagerness,  and  looked 
over  one  another  ;  Vane- Vivian,  in  particular,  was 
all  attention.  After  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  the 
Professor,    still    smiling,   began   to    empty    the    ap- 


• » 


/    « 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GERMAN  PROFESSOR       145 


If  • 


paratus.  He  removed  a  large  quantity  of  dust  or 
powder,  which  he  succinctly  described  as  *  by- 
broducts,'  and  then  took  between  finger  and  thumb 
from  the  midst  of  each  pan  a  small  white  pebble, 
not  water-worn  apparently,  but  slightly  rough  and 
wart-like  on  the  surface. 

From  one  pair  of  the  pannikins  he  produced  two 
such  stones,  and  held  them  up  before  us  triumph- 
antly. '  Zese,'  he  said,  *  are  genuine  tiamonds, 
manufactured  at  a  gost  of  fourteen  shillings  and 
siggspence  abiece  ! '  Then  he  tried  the  second  pair. 
'  Zese,*  he  said,  still  more  gleefully,  *  are  broduced  at 
a  gost  of  eleffen  and  ninebence  ! '  Finally,  he  came  to 
the  third  pair,  which  he  posilively  brandished  before 
our  astonished  eyes.  'And  zese,'  he  cried,  transported, 
*  haff  gost  me  no  more  zan  tree  and  cightbence  ! ' 

They  were  handed  round  for  inspection.  Rough 
and  uncut  as  they  stood,  it  was,  of  course,  impossible 
to  judge  of  their  value.  But  one  thing  was  certain. 
The  men  of  science  had  been  watching  close  at  the 
first,  and  were  sure  Herr  Schleiermacher  had  not 
put  the  stones  in  ;  they  were  keen  at  the  withdrawal, 
and  were  equally  sure  he  had  taken  them  honestly 
out  of  the  pannikins. 

*  I  vill  now  disdribute  zem,'  the  Professor  re- 
marked in  a  casual  tone,  as  if  diamonds  were  peas, 
looking  round  at  the  company.  And  he  singled  out 
my  brother-in-law.  '  One  to  Sir  Charles  I '  he  said, 
handing  it ;  *  one  to  Mr.  Mosenheimer  ;  one  to  Mr. 
Phibson — as  representing  the  tiamond  interest.     Zen, 

L 


146 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


one  each  to  Sir  Atolphus,  to  Dr.  Gray,  to  Mr.  Fane- 
Fiffian,  as  representing  science.  You  will  haff  zem 
cut  and  rebort  upon  zem  in  due  gourse.  We  meet 
again  at  zis  blace  ze  day  afder  do-morrow.' 

Charles  gazed  at  him  reproachfully.  The  pro- 
foundest  chords  of  his  moral  nature  v.'^re  stirred. 
*  Professor/  he  said,  in  a  voice  of  solemn  warning, 
'  are  you  aware  that,  if  you  have  succeeded,  you  have 
destroyed  the  value  of  thousands  of  pounds'  worth 
of  precious  property  ? ' 

The  Professor  shrugged  his  shoulders.  '  Fot  is  dat 
to  me  ? '  he  inquired,  with  a  curious  glance  of  con- 
tempt. *  I  am  not  a  financier  !  I  am  a  man  of  science. 
I  seek  to  know  ;  I  do  not  seek  to  make  a  fortune.* 

*  Shocking !  *  Charles  exclaimed.  *  Shocking  !  I 
never  before  in  my  life  beheld  so  strange  an  instance 
of  complete  insensibility  to  the  claims  of  others  I  * 

We  separated  early.  The  men  of  science  were 
coarsely  jubilant.  The  diamond  interest  exhibited 
a  corresponding  depression.  If  this  news  were  true, 
they  foresaw  a  slump.  Every  eye  grew  dim.  It 
was  a  terrible  business. 

Charles  walked  homeward  with  the  Professor. 
He  sounded  him  gently  as  to  the  sum  required, 
should  need  arise,  to  purchase  his  secrecy.  Already 
Sir  Adolphus  had  bound  us  all  down  to  temporary 
silence — as  if  that  were  necessary ;  but  Charles 
wished  to  know  how  much  Schleiermacher  would 
take  to  suppress  his  discovery.  The  German  v^as 
immovable. 


TIIK  EPISODE  OF  THE  GERMAN  PROFESSOR      147 


*  No,  no ! '  he  replied,  with  positive  petulance. 
'  You  do  not  untcrstaiit.  I  do  not  buy  and  sell. 
Zis  is  a  chemical  fact.  We  must  bublish  it  for  the 
sake  off  its  seoretical  falue.  I  do  not  care  for 
wealse.     I  haff  no  time  to  waste  in  making  money.' 

*  What  an  awful  picture  of  a  misspent  life ! ' 
Charles  observed  to  me  afterwards. 

And»  indeed,  the  man  seemed  to  care  for  nothing 
on  earth  but  the  abstract  question — not  whether  he 
could  make  good  diamonds  or  not,  but  whether  he 
could  or  could  not  produce  a  crystalline  form  of  pure 
carbon  ! 

On  the  appointed  night  Charles  went  back  to 
Lancaster  Gate,  as  I  could  not  fail  to  remark,  with 
a  strange  air  of  complete  and  painful  preoccupation. 
Never  before  in  his  life  had  I  seen  him  so  anxious. 

The  diamonds  were  produced,  with  one  surface 
of  each  slightly  scored  by  the  cutters,  so  as  to  show 
the  water.  Then  a  curious  result  disclosed  itself. 
.  Strange  to  say,  each  of  the  three  diamonds  given  to 
the  three  diamond  kings  turned  out  to  be  a  most 
inferior  and  valueless  stone  ;  while  each  of  the  three 
intrusted  to  the  care  of  the  scientific  investigators 
turned  out  to  be  a  fine  gem  of  the  purest  quality. 

I  confess  it  was  a  sufficiently  suspicious  con- 
junction. The  three  representatives  of  the  diamond 
interest  gazed  at  each  other  with  inquiring  side- 
glances.  Then  their  eyes  fell  suddenly:  they  avoided 
one  another.  Had  each  independently  substituted 
a    weak    and    inferior   natural    stone    for    Professor 


H 


148 


Mi  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


Schleiermachcr's  manufactured  pjbbles?  It  almost 
seemed  so.  For  a  moment,  I  admit,  I  was  half 
inclined  to  suppose  it.  But  next  second  I  changed 
my  mind.  Could  a  man  of  Sir  Charles  Vandrift's 
integrity  and  high  principle  stoop  for  lucre's  sake  to 
so  mean  an  expedient? — not  to  mention  the  fact 
that,  even  if  he  did,  and  if  Mosenh^imer  did  likewise, 
the  stones  submitted  to  the  scientific  men  would 
have  amply  sufficed  to  establish  tho  reality  and 
success  of  the  experiments  ! 

Still,  I  must  say,  Charles  looked  guiltily  across  at 
Mosenheimcr,  and  Mosenhotmer  at  Phipson,  while 
three  more  uncomfortable  or  unhappy-faced  men 
could  hardly  have  been  found  at  that  precise  minute 
in  the  City  of  Westminster. 

Then  Sir  Adolphus  spoke — or,  rather,  he  orated. 
He  said  in  his  loi'd  and  grating  voice,  we  had  that 
evening,  and  on  a  previous  evening,  been  present  at 
the  conception  and  birth  of  an  Epoch  in  the  History 
of  Science.  Professor  Schleiermacher  was  one  of 
those  men  of  whom  his  native  Saxony  might  well 
be  proud  ;  while  as  a  Briton  he  must  say  he  regretted 
somewhat  that  this  discovery,  like  so  many  others, 
should  have  been  '  Made  in  Germany.'  However, 
Professor  Schleiermacher  was  a  specimen  of  that 
noble  type  of  scientific  men  to  whom  gold  was 
merely  the  rare  metal  Au,  and  diamonds  merely  the 
element  C  in  the  scarcest  of  its  manifold  allotropic 
er.nbodimcnts.  The  Professor  did  not  seek  to  make 
money  out  of  his   discovery.     He   rose  above   the 


It 


If 


THE  EPISODE  OF  TTIE  HERMAN  PROFESSOR      149 

sordid  greed  of  capitalists.  Content  with  the  glory 
of  having  traced  the  clement  C  to  its  crystalline 
origin,  he  asked  no  more  than  the  approval  of 
science.  However,  out  of  deference  to  the  wishes  of 
those  financial  gentlemen  who  were  oddly  concerned 


THREE   UNCOMFORTABLE,    UNHAPPY 
FACED   MEN. 


in  maintaining  the  present  price  of  C  in  its  crystalline 
form — in  other  words,  the  diamond  interest — they 
had  arranged  that  the  secret  should  be  strictly 
guarded  and  kept  for  the  present ;  not  one  of  the 
few  persons  admitted  to  the  experiments  would 
publicly  divulge  the  truth  about  them.      This  secrecy 


ISO 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


would  be  maintained  till  he  himself,  and  a  small 
committee  of  the  Royal  Society,  should  have  time  to 
investigate  and  verify  for  themselves  the  Professor's 
beautiful  and  ingenious  processes — an  investigation 
and  verification  which  the  learned  Professor  himself 
both  desired  and  suggested.  (Schleiermacher  nodded 
approval.)  When  that  was  done,  if  the  process  stood 
the  test,  further  concealment  would  be  absolutely 
futile.  The  price  of  diamonds  must  fall  at  once 
below  that  of  paste,  and  any  protest  on  the  part  of 
the  financial  world  would,  of  course,  be  useless.  The 
laws  of  Nature  were  superior  to  millionaires.  Mean- 
while, in  deference  to  the  opinion  of  Sir  Charles 
Vandrift,  whose  acquaintance  with  that  fascinating 
side  of  the  subject  nobody  could  deny,  they  had 
consented  to  send  no  notices  to  the  Press,  and  to 
abstain  from  saying  anything  about  this  beautiful 
and  simple  process  in  public.  He  dwelt  with  horrid 
gusto  on  that  epithet  *  beautiful*  And  now,  in  the 
name  of  British  mineralogy,  he  must  congratulate 
Professor  Schleiermacher,  our  distinguished  guest,  on 
his  truly  brilliant  and  crystalline  contribution  to  our 
knowledge  of  brilliants  and  of  crystalline  science. 

Everybody  applauded.  It  was  an  awkward 
moment.  Sir  Charles  bit  his  lip.  Mosenheimer 
looked  glum.  Young  Phipson  dropped  an  expres- 
sion which  I  will  not  transcribe.  (I  understand  this 
work  may  circulate  among  families.)  And  after  a 
solemn  promise  of  death-like  secrecy,  the  meeting 
separated. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  (".ERMAN  PROFESSOR      151 


[ward 

pimer 

jpres- 

this 

ter  a 

:ting 


I  noticed  that  my  brother-in-law  somewhat 
ostentatiously  avoided  Mosenhcimer  at  the  door ; 
and  that  Phipson  jumped  quickly  into  his  own 
carriage.  '  Home  ! '  Charles  cried  gloomily  to  the 
coachman  as  we  took  our  seats  in  the  brougham. 
And  all  the  way  to  May  fair  he  leaned  back  in  his 
seat,  with  close-set  lips,  never  uttering  a  syllable. 

Before  he  retired  to  rest,  however,  in  the  privacy 
of  the  billiard-room,  I  ventured  to  ask  him  :  •  Ciidilos, 
will  you  unload  Golcondas  to-morrow  ?  *  Which,  I 
need  hardly  explain,  is  the  slang  of  the  Stock 
Exchange  for  getting  rid  of  undesirable  securities. 
It  struck  me  as  probable  that,  in  the  event  of  the 
invention  turning  out  a  reality,  Cloetedorp  A's 
might  become  unsaleable  within  the  next  few  weeks 
or  so. 

He  eyed  me  sternly.  'Wentworth,'  he  said, 
'  you're  a  fool  I  *  (Except  on  occasions  when  he  is 
very  angry,  my  respected  connection  never  calls  me 
'  Wentworth ' ;  the  familiar  abbreviation,  *  Sey ' — 
derived  from  Seymour — is  his  usual  mode  of  address 
to  me  in  private.)  '  Is  it  likely  I  would  unload,  and 
wreck  the  confidence  of  the  public  in  the  Cloetedorp 
Company  at  such  a  moment  ?  As  a  director — as 
Chairman — would  it  be  just  or  right  of  me  ?  I  ask 
you,  sir,  could  I  reconcile  it  to  my  conscience  ?  * 

*  Charles,*  I  answered,  *  you  are  right.  Your  con- 
duct is  noble.  You  will  not  save  your  own  personal 
interests  at  the  expense  of  those  who  have  put  their 
trust  in  you.     Such  probity  is,  alas  !   very  rare  in 


■=--w*j6,^a^On, 


159 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


finance ! '  And  I  sighed  involuntarily ;  for  I  had 
lost  in  Liberators. 

At  the  same  time  I  thought  to  myself,  *  /  am  not 
a  director.  No  trust  is  reposed  in  me.  I  have  to 
think  first  of  dear  Isabel  and  the  baby.  Before  the 
crash  comes  /  will  sell  out  to-morrow  the  few  shares 
I  hold,  through  Charles's  kindness,  in  the  Cloetedorp 
Golcondas.' 

With  his  marvellous  business  instinct,  Charles 
seemed  to  divine  my  thought,  for  he  turned  round 
to  me  sharply.  *  Look  here,  Sey,*  he  remarked,  in 
an  acidulous  tone,  *  recollect,  you're  my  brother-in- 
law.  You  are  also  my  secretary.  The  eyes  of 
London  will  be  upon  us  to-morrow.  1( you  were  to 
sell  out,  and  operators  got  to  know  of  it,  they'd 
suspect  there  was  something  up,  and  the  company 
would  suffer  for  it.  Of  course,  you  can  do  what  you 
like  with  your  own  property.  I  can't  interfere  with 
that.  I  do  not  dictate  to  you.  But  as  Chairman  of 
the  Golcondas,  I  am  bound  to  see  that  the  interests 
of  widows  and  orphans  whose  All  is  invested  with 
me  should  not  suffer  at  this  crisis.'  His  voice 
seemed  to  falter.  *  Therefore,  though  I  don't  like  to 
threaten,'  lie  went  on,  '  I  am  bound  to  give  you 
warning :  if  you  sell  out  those  shares  of  yours, 
openly  or  secretly,  you  are  no  longer  my  secretary ; 
you  receive  forthwith  six  months'  salary  in  lieu  of 
notice,  and — you  leave  me  instantly.* 

'  Very  well,  Charles,'  I  answered,  in  a  submissive 
voice  ;  though  I  debated  with  myself  for  a  moment 


f 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GERMAN  PROFESSOR      153 


whether  it  would  be  best  to  stick  to  the  ready  money 
and  quit  the  sinking  ship,  or  to  hold  fast  by  my 
friend,  and  back  Charles's  luck  against  the  Professor's 
science.  After  a  short,  sharp  struggle  within  my 
own  mind,  I  am  proud  to.  say,  friendship  and 
gratitude  won.  I  felt  sure  that,  whether  diamonds 
went  up  or  down,  Charles  Vandrift  was  the  sort  of 
man  who  would  come  to  the  top  in  the  end  in  spite 
of  everything.     And  I  decided  to  stand  by  him  I 

I  slept  little  that  night,  however.  My  mind  was 
a  whirlwind.  At  breakfast  Charles  also  looked 
haggard  and  moody.  He  ordered  the  carriage  early, 
and  drove  straight  into  the  City. 

There  was  a  block  in  Cheapside.  Charles, 
impatient  and  nervous,  jumped  out  and  walked.  I 
walked  beside  him.  Near  Wood  Street  a  man  we 
knew  casually  stopped  us. 

*  I  think  I  ought  to  mention  to  you,*  he  said, 
confidentially,  'that  I  have  it  on  the  very  best 
authority  that  Schleiermachcr,  of  Jena ' 

*  Thank  you,'  Charles  said,  crustily,  '  I  know  that 
tale,  and — there's  not  a  word  of  truth  in  it.' 

He  brushed  on  in  haste.  A  yard  or  two  farther 
a  broker  paused  in  front  of  us. 

*  Halloa,  Sir  Charles  I '  he  called  out,  in  a  banter- 
ing tone.  '  What's  all  this  about  diamonds  ?  Where 
are  Cloetedorps  to-day  ?  Is  it  Golconda,  or  Queer 
Street  ? ' 

Charles  drew  himself  up  very  stiff.  '  I  fail  to 
understand  you,'  he  answered,  with  dignity. 


>S4 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


'Why,  you  were  there  yourself/  the  man  cried. 
'  Last  night  at  Sir  Adolphus's !  Oh  yes,  it's  all 
over  the  place  ;  Schleiermacher  of  Jena  has  succeeded 
in  making  the  most  perfect  diamonds — for  sixpence 
apiece — as  good  as  real — and  South  Africa's  ancient 
historj'.  In  less  than  six  weeks  Kimberley,  they 
say,  will  be  a  howling  desert.  Every  costermonger 
in  Whitechapel  will  wear  genuine  Koh-i-noors  for 
buttons  on  his  coat ;  every  girl  in  Bermondsey  will 
sport  a  rivikre  like  Lady  Vandrift's  to  her  favourite 
music-hall.  There's  a  slump  in  Golcondas.  Sly, 
sly,  I  can  see ;  but  we  know  all  about  it  1 ' 

Charles  moved  on,  disgusted.  The  man's  manners 
were  atrocious.  Near  the  Bank  we  ran  up  against  a 
most  respectable  jobber. 

*Ah,  Sir  Charles,*  he  said;  *you  here?  Well, 
this  is  strange  news,  isn't  it  ?  For  my  part,  I  advise 
you  not  to  take  it  too  seriously.  Your  stock  will  go 
down,  of  course,  like  lead  this  morning.  But  it'll 
rise  to-morrow,  mark  my  words,  and  fluctuate  every 
hour  till  the  discovery's  proved  or  disproved  for 
certain.  There's  a  fine  time  coming  for  operators,  I 
feel  sure.  Reports  this  way  and  that.  Rumours, 
rumours,  rumours.  And  nobody  will  know  which 
way  to  believe  till  Sir  Adolphus  has  tested  it' 

We  moved  on  towards  the  House.  Black  care 
was  seated  on  Sir  Charles's  shoulders.  As  we  drew 
nearer  and  nearer,  everybody  was  discussing  the  one 
fact  cf  the  moment.  The  seal  of  secrecy  had  proved 
more    potent    than    publication    on    the    housetops. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GERMAN  PROFESSOR      155 


Some  people  told  us  of  the  exciting  news  in  con- 
fidential whispers ;  some  proclaimed  it  aloud  in 
vulgar  exultation.  The  general  opinion  was  that 
Cloetedorps  were  doomed,  and  that  the  sooner  a 
man  cleared  out  the  less  was  he  likely  to  lose  by  it. 

Charles  strode  on  like  a  general ;  but  it  was  a 
Napoleon  brazening  out  his  retreat  from  Moscow. 
His  m»en  was  resolute.  He  disappeared  at  last  into 
the  precincts  of  an  office,  waving  me  back,  not  to 
follow.  After  a  long  consultation  he  came  out  and 
rejoined  me. 

All  day  long  the  City  rang  with  Golcondas, 
Golcondas.  Everybody  murmured,  '  Slump,  slump 
in  Golcondas.'  The  brokers  had  more  business  to 
do  than  they  could  manage ;  though,  to  be  sure, 
almost  every  one  was  a  seller  and  no  one  a  buyer. 
But  Charles  stood  firm  as  a  ro.-!:,  and  so  did  his 
brokers.  *  I  don't  want  to  sell,'  he  said,  doggedly. 
'  The  whole  thing  is  trumped  up.  It's  a  mere  piece 
of  jugglery.  For  my  own  part,  I  believe  Professor 
Schleiermacher  is  deceived,  or  else  is  deceiving  us. 
In  another  week  the  bubble  will  have  burst,  and 
prices  will  restore  themselves.'  His  brokers,  Fingle- 
mores,  had  only  one  answer  to  all  inquiries  :  *  Sir 
Charles  has  every  confidence  in  the  stability  of 
Golcondas,  and  doesn't  wish  to  sell  or  to  increase 
the  panic* 

All  the  world  said  he  was  splendid,  splendid ! 
There  he  stationed  himself  on  'Change  like  some 
granite  stack  against  which  the  waves  roll  and  break 


X56 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


themselves  in  vain.  He  took  no  notice  of  the  slump, 
but  ostentatiously  bought  up  a  few  shares  here  and 
there  so  as  to  restore  public  confidence. 

'  I  would  buy  more/  he  said,  freely,  *  and  make 
my  fortune ;  only,  as  I  was  one  of  those  who 
happened  to  spend  last  night  at  Sir  Adolphus's, 
people  might  think  I  had  helped  to  spread  the 
rumour  and  produce  the  slump,  in  order  to  buy  in 
at  panic  rates  for  my  own  advantage.  A  chairman, 
like  Caesar's  wife,  should  be  above  suspicion.  So  I 
shall  only  buy  up  just  enough,  now  and  again,  to  let 
people  see  I,  at  least,  have  no  doubt  as  to  the  firm 
future  of  Cloetedorps.' 

He  went  home  that  night,  more  harassed  and  ill 
than  I  have  ever  seen  him.  Next  day  was  as  bad. 
The  slump  continued,  with  varying  episodes.  Now, 
a  rumour  would  surge  up  that  Sir  Adolphus  had 
declared  the  whole  affair  a  sham,  and  prices  would 
steady  a  little  ;  now,  another  would  break  out  that 
the  diamonds  were  actually  being  put  upon  the 
market  in  Berlin  by  the  cart-load,  and  timid  old 
ladies  would  wire  down  to  their  brokers  to  realise 
off-hand  at  whatever  hazard.  It  was  an  awful  day. 
I  shall  never  forget  it. 

The  morning  after,  as  if  by  miracle,  things  righted 
themselves  of  a  sudden.  While  we  w^re  wondering 
what  it  meant,  Charles  received  a  telegram  from  Sir 
Adolphus  Cordcry ; — 

'  The  man  is  a  fraud.  Not  Schleiermacher  at  all. 
Just   had   a   wire    from   Jena   saying   the    Professor 


THE  EPISODE  OV  THE  GERMAN  TROFESSOR      157 


Sir 


knows    nothing   about   him.      Sorry   unintentionally 
to  have  caused  you  trouble.     Come  round  and  see 


me. 


CHARLES   WAS    BESIUE    HIMSELF   WITH   ANGER. 

*  Sorry  unintentionally  to  have  caused  you  trouble.* 
Charles  was  beside  himself  with  anger.  Sir  Adolphus 
had  upset  the   share- market   for   forty-eight  mortal 


158 


A>:  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


li^ 


■ji 


li! 


hours,  half-ruined  a  round  dozen  of  wealthy  operators, 
convulsed  the  City,  upheaved  the  House,  and  now 
— he  apologised  for  it  as  one  might  apologise  for 
being  late  ten  minutes  for  dinner !  Charles  jumped 
into  a  hansom  and  rushed  round  to  see  him.  How 
had  he  dared  to  introduce  the  impostor  to  solid  men 
as  Professor  Schleiermacher  ?  Sir  Adolphus  shrugged 
his  shoulders.  The  fellow  had  come  and  introduced 
himself  as  the  great  Jena  chemist ;  he  had  long 
white  hair,  and  a  stoop  in  the  shoulders.  What 
reason  had  he  for  doubting  his  word  ?  (I  reflected 
to  myself  that  on  much  the  same  grounds  Charles 
in  turn  had  accepted  the  Honourable  David  Granton 
and  Graf  von  Lebenstein.)  Besides,  what  object 
could  the  creature  have  for  this  extraordinary 
deception  ?  Charles  knew  only  too  well.  It  was 
clear  it  was  done  to  disturb  the  diamond  market, 
and  we  realised,  too  late,  that  the  man  who  had  done 
it  was — Colonel  Clay,  in  'another  of  his  manifold 
aJlotropic  embodiments  ! '  Charles  had  had  his  wish, 
and  had  met  his  enemy  once  more  in  London  ! 

We  could  see  the  whole  plot.  Colonel  Clay  was 
polymorphic,  like  the  element  carbon !  Doubtless, 
with  his  extraordinary  sleight  of  hand,  he  had 
substituted  real  diamonds  for  the  shapeless  mass  that 
came  out  of  the  apparatus,  in  the  interval  between 
handing  the  pebbles  round  for  inspection,  and 
distributing  them  piecemeal  to  the  men  of  science 
and  representatives  of  the  diamond  interest  We 
all  watched  him  closely,  of  course,  when  he  opened 


v. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GERMAN  PROFESSOR      159 

the  t  "ucihles ;  but  when  once  we  had  satisfied 
ourselves  that  something  came  out,  our  doubts  were 
set  at  rest,  and  we  forgot  to  watch  whether  he 
distributed  those  somethings  or  not  to  the  recipients. 
Conjurers  always  depend  upon  such  momentary 
distractions  or  lapses  of  attention.  As  usual,  too, 
the  Professor  had  disappeared  into  space  the  moment 
his  trick  was  once  well  performed.  He  vanished 
like  smoke,  as  the  Count  and  Seer  had  vanished 
before,  and  was  never  again  heard  of. 

Charles  went  home  more  angry  than  I  have  ever 
beheld  him.  I  couldn't  imagine  why.  He  seemed 
as  deeply  hipped  as  if  he  had  lost  his  thousands. 
I  endeavoured  to  console  him.  '  After  all,'  I  said, 
'though  Golcondas  have  suffered  a  temporary  loss, 
it's  a  comfort  to  think  that  you  should  have  stood 
so  firm,  and  not  only  stemmed  the  tide,  but  also 
prevented  yourself  from  losing  anything  at  all  of 
your  own  through  panic.  I'm  sorry,  of  course,  for 
the  widows  and  orphans  ;  but  if  Colonel  Clay  has 
rigged  the  market,  at  least  it  isn't  you  who  lose  by 
it  this  time.' 

Charles  withered  me  with  a  fierce  scowl  of 
undisguised  contempt.  *  Wentworth,'  he  said  once 
more,  *  you  are  a  fool  I  *  Then  he  relapsed  into 
silence. 

*  But  you  declined  to  sell  out,'  I  said. 

He  gazed  at  me  fixedly.  *  Is  it  likely,'  he  asked 
at  last,  *  I  would  tell  you  if  I  meant  to  sell  out  ?  or 
that   I'd   sell   out   openly   through    Finglemore,  my 


i6o 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


I 

I    , 

I 
\    I 

r 


; 


usual  broker?  Why,  all  the  world  would  have 
known,  and  Golcondas  would  have  been  finished. 
As  it  is,  I  don't  <  iisin;  to  tell  an  ass  like  you  exactly 
how  muci'  f  vv  :  St.  But  I  did  sell  out,  and  some 
unknown  c,  ^r^irft*  L>ought  in  at  once,  and  closed  for 
ready  money,  and  hi  -^.old  again  this  morning;  and 
after  all  that  has  happened,  it  will  be  impossible  to 
track  him.  He  didn't  wait  for  the  account :  he 
settled  up  instantly.  And  he  sold  in  like  manner. 
I  know  now  what  has  been  done,  and  how  cleverly 
it  has  all  been  disguised  and  covered  ;  but  the  most 
I'm  going  to  tell  you  to-day  is  just  this — it's  by  far 
the  biggest  haul  Colonel  Clay  has  made  out  of  me. 
He  could  retire  on  it  if  he  liked.  My  one  hope  is, 
it  may  satisfy  him  for  life ;  but,  then,  no  man  has 
ever  had  enough  of  making  money.' 

*  You  sold  out  1  *  I  exclaimed.  *  You,  the  Chairman 
of  the  company  !  You  deserted  the  ship !  And 
how  about  your  trust  ?  How  about  the  widows  and 
orphans  confided  to  you  ?  * 

Charles  rose  and  faced  me.  'Seymour  Wentworth,* 
he  said,  in  his  most  solemn  voice,  *  you  have  lived 
with  me  for  years  and  had  every  advantage.  You 
have  seen  high  finance.  Yet  you  ask  me  that 
question  I  It's  my  belief  you  will  never,  never 
understand  business  1 ' 


y 


\v 


VII 


THE   EPISODE   OF   THE   ARREST   OF   THE     ;C^01s;u, 


'"I 


)■ 


11 


w 


ft 


How  much  precisely  Charles  dropped  ove»'  th  slump 
in  Cloetedorps  I  never  quite  knew.  But ;  -  ii  cident 
kTc  him  dejected,  limp,  and  dispirited. 

*  Hang  it  all,  Sey,'  he  said  to  me  in  the  smoking- 
room,  a  few  evenings  later.  '  This  Colonel  Clay  is 
enough  to  vex  the  patience  of  Job — and  Job  had 
large  losses,  too,  if  I  recollect  aright,  from  the 
Chaldeans  and  other  big  operators  of  the  period.' 

'Three  thousand  camels,'  I  murmured,  recalling 
my  dear  mother's  lessons  ;  *  all  at  one  fell  swoop ; 
not  to  mention  five  hundred  yoke  of  oxen,  carried 
off  by  the  Sabeans,  then  a  leading  firm  of  speculative 
cattle-dealers  !  * 

*  Ah,  well,'  Charles  meditated  aloud,  shaking  the 
ash  from  his  cheroot  into  a  Japanese  tray — fine 
antique  bronze-work.  *  There  were  big  transactions 
in  live-stock  even  then  I  Still,  Job  or  no  Job,  the 
man  is  too  much  for  me.* 

'The  difficulty  is,'  I  assented,  'you  never  know 
where  to  have  him.' 

*  Yes,'  Charles  mused  ;    '  if  he  were  always  the 


■A 


V^tJ 


r 


162 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


same,  like  Ilorniman's  tea  or  a  good  brand  of  whisky, 
it  would  be  easier,  of  course ;  you'd  stand  some 
chance  of  spotting  him.  But  when  a  man  turns  up 
smiling  every  time  in  a  different  disguise,  which  fits 
him  like  a  skin,  and  always  apparently  with  the  best 
credentials,  why,  hang  it  all,  Sey,  there's  no  wrestling 
with  him  anyhow.* 

'  Who  could  have  come  to  us,  for  example,  better 
vouched,'  I  acquiesced,  *  than  the  Honourable  David  ?  ' 

'  Exactly  so,'  Charles  murmured.  '  I  invited  him 
myself,  for  my  own  advantage.  And  he  arrived  with 
all  the  prestige  of  the  Glen-EUachie  connection.* 

'Or  the  Professor?*  I  went  on.  'Introduced  to 
us  by  the  leading  mineralogist  of  England.' 

I  had  touched  a  sore  point.  Charles  winced  and 
remained  silent. 

*  Then,  women  again,*  he  resumed,  after  a  painful 
pause.  '  I  must  meet  in  society  many  charming 
women.  I  can't  everywhere  and  always  be  on  my 
guard  against  every  dear  soul  of  them.  Yet 
the  moment  I  relax  my  attention  for  one  day — or 
even  when  I  don't  relax  it — I  am  bamboozled  and 
led  a  dance  by  that  arch  Mme.  Picardet,  or  that 
transparently  simple  little  minx,  Mrs.  Granton. 
She's  the  cleverest  girl  I  ever  met  in  my  life,  that 
hussy,  whatever  we're  to  call  her.  She's  a  different 
person  each  time ;  and  each  time,  hang  it  all,  I  lose 
my  heart  afresh  to  that  different  person.' 

I  glanced  round  to  make  sure  Amelia  was  well 
out  of  earshot. 


TIIK  EPISODE  OF  THE  ARREST  OF  THE  COLONEL      163 


*  No,  Scy,'  my  respected  connection  went  on, 
after  another  lon^  pause,  sipping  his  coffi^c  pensively, 
*  I  feel  I  must  be  aided  in  this  superhunian  task  by 


,     I   AM    HAMHOOZLIiD   AND   LED   A    DANCE. 

a  professional  unraveller  of  cunning  disguises.  I 
shall  go  to  Marvillier's  to-morrow — fortunate  man, 
Marvillier — and  ask  him  to  supply  me  with  a  really 
good  'tec,  who  will  stop  in  the  house  and   keep  an 


f  I 


164 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


eye  upon  every  living  soul  that  comes  near  me.  He 
shall  scan  each  nose,  each  eye,  each  wig,  each  whisker. 
He  shall  be  my  watchful  half,  my  unsleeping  self;  it 
shall  be  his  business  to  suspect  all  living  men,  all 
breathing  women.  The  Archbishop  of  Canterbury 
shall  not  escape  for  a  moment  his  watchful  regard  ; 
he  will  take  care  that  royal  princesses  don't  collar 
the  spoons  or  walk  off  with  the  jewel-cases.  He 
must  see  possible  Colonel  Clays  in  the  guard  of 
every  train  and  the  parson  of  every  parish  ;  he  must 
detect  the  off-chance  of  a  Mme.  Picardet  in  every 
young  girl  that  takes  tea  with  Amelia,  every  fat  old 
lady  that  comes  to  call  upon  Isabel.  Yes,  I  have 
made  my  mind  up.  I  shall  go  to-morrow  and 
secure  such  a  man  at  once  at  Marvillier's.' 

*  If  you  please.  Sir  Charles,'  C^sarine  interposed, 
pushing  her  head  through  the  portiere,  '  her  ladyship 
says,  will  you  and  Mr.  Wentworth  remember  that 
she  goes  out  with  you  both  this  evening  to  Lady 
Carisbrooke's  ? ' 

*  Bless  my  soul,*  Charles  cried,  *  so  she  does  I 
And  it's  now  past  ten !  The  carriage  will  be  at  the 
door  for  us  in  another  five  minutes ! ' 

Next  morning,  accordingly,  Charles  drove  round 
to  Marvillier's.  The  famous  detective  listened  to 
his  story  with  glistening  eyes  ;  then  he  rubbed  his 
hands  and  purred.  *  Colonel  Clay  1 '  he  said  ; 
'  Colonel  Clay  !  That's  a  very  tough  customer  I 
The  police  of  Europe  arc  on  the  look-out  for  Colonel 
Clay.     He  is  wanted  in  London,  in  Paris,  in  Berlin. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  ARREST  OF  THE  COLONEL      165 


It  is  le  Colonel  Caoutchouc  here,  le  Colonel  Caontchouc 
there  ;  till  one  begins  to  ask,  at  last,  is  there  any 
Colonel  Caoutchouc,  or  is  it  a  convenient  class  name 
invented  by  the  l"'orcc  to 
cover  a  gang  of  undis- 
covered sharpers?  How- 
ever, Sir  Charles,  we  will 
do  our  best.  I  will  set  on 
the  track  without  delay 
the  best  and  cleverest  de- 
tective in  England.' 

*  The  very  man  I  want,' 
Charles  said.  '  What  name, 
Marvillier?' 


The  principal  smiled. 
*  Whatever  name  you  like,' 
he  said.  *  He  isn't  particular. 
Medhurst  he's  called  at 
home.  Wc  call  him  Joe. 
I'll  send  him  round  to 
your  house  this  afternoon 
for  certain.' 

'Oh  no,'  Charles  said 
promi>+ly,  *  you  won't ;  or 
Colonel    Clay   himself  will 

come   instead    of  him.       I've   been    sold   too   often. 
No  casual  strangers  I      I'll  wait  here  and  see  him.' 

'  But  he  isn't  in,'  Marvillier  objected. 

Charles  was  firm   as   a  rock.     '  Then   send    a.id 
fetch  him.* 


MEDHURST. 


i66 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


■; 


In  half  an  hour,  sure  enough,  the  detective  arrived. 
He  was  an  odd-looking  small  man,  with  hair  cut 
short  and  standing  straight  up  all  over  his  head, 
like  a  Parisian  waiter.  He  had  quick,  sharp  eyes, 
very  much  like  a  ferret's ;  his  nose  was  depressed, 
his  lips  thin  and  bloodless.  A  scar  marked  his  left 
cheek — made  by  a  sword-cut,  he  said,  when  engaged 
one  day  in  arresting  a  desperate  French  smuggler, 
disguised  as  an  officer  of  Chasseurs  d'Afrique.  His 
mien  was  resolute.  Altogether,  a  quainter  or  'cuter 
little  man  it  has  never  yet  been  my  lot  to  set  eyes 
on.  He  walked  in  with  a  brisk  step,  eyed  Charles 
up  and  down,  ana  then,  without  much  formality, 
asked  for  what  he  was  wanted. 

This  is  Sir  Charles  Vandrift,  the  great  diamond 
king,'  Marvillier  said,  introducing  us. 

*  So  I  see,'  the  man  answered. 

'  Then  you  know  me  ?  *  Charles  asked. 

'  I  wouldn't  be  worth  much,'  the  detective  replied, 
*  if  I  didn't  know  everybody.  And  you're  easy 
enough  to  know ;  why,  every  boy  in  the  street 
knows  you.' 

*  Plain  spoken  i  *  Charles  remarked. 

*As  you  like  it,  sir,'  the  man  answered  in  a 
respectful  tone.  '  I  endeavour  to  suit  my  dress  and 
behaviour  on  every  occasion  to  the  taste  of  my 
employers.' 

'Your  name?'  Charles  asked,  smiling. 

*  Joseph  Medhurst,  at  your  service.  What  sort  of 
work  ?    Stolen  diamonds  ?    Illicit  diamond-buying  ? ' 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  ARREST  OF  THE  COLONEL     167 


'  No,'  Charles  answered,  fixing  him  with  his  eye. 
'  Quite  another  kind  of  job.  You've  heard  of 
Colonel  Clay  ? ' 

Medhurst  nodded.  *  Why,  certainly,'  he  said ; 
and,  for  the  first  time,  I  detected  a  lingering  trace  of 
American  accent.  '  It's  my  business  to  know  about 
him.' 

*  Well,  I  want  you  to  catch  him,'  Charles  went  on. 
Medhurst  drew  a  long  breath.     '  Isn't  that  rather 

a  large  order  ? '  he  murmured,  surprised. 

Charles  explained  to  him  exactly  the  sort  of 
services  he  required.  Medhurst  promised  to  comply. 
*  If  the  man  comes  near  you,  I'll  spot  him,'  he  said, 
after  a  moment's  pause.  '  I  can  promise  you  that 
much.  I'll  pierce  any  disguise.  I  should  know  in 
a  minute  whether  he's  got  up  or  not.  I'm  death  on 
wigs,  false  moustaches,  artificial  complexions.  I'll 
engage  to  bring  the  rogue  to  book  if  I  see  him. 
You  may  set  your  mind  at  rest,  that,  while  Fm 
about  you.  Colonel  Clay  can  do  nothing  without  my 
instantly  spotting  him.' 

♦  He'll  do  it,'  Marvillier  put  in.  *  He'll  do  it,  if 
he  says  it  He's  my  very  best  hand.  Never  knew 
any  man  like  him  for  unravelling  and  unmasking 
the  cleverest  disguises.' 

'  Then  he'll  suit  me,'  Charles  answered,  *  for  / 
never  knew  any  man  like  Colonel  Clay  for  assuming 
and  maintaining  them.* 

It  was  arranged  accordingly  that  Medhurst 
should  take  up  his  residence  in  the  house  for  the 


i68 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


present,  and   should  be  described   to  the  servants  as 
assistant  secretary.      He  came  that  very  day,  with  a 


CESARINE   TOOK   A   VIOLENT   DISLIKE   TO   HIM. 

marvellously  small  portmanteau.  But  from  the 
moment  he  arrived,  we  noticed  that  Cesarine  took  a 
violent  dislike  to  him. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  ARREST  OF  THE  COLONEL      169 


Medhurst  was  a  most  efificient  detective.  Charles 
and  I  told  him  all  we  knew  about  the  various  shapes 
in  which  Colonel  Clay  had  '  materialised,'  and  he 
gave  us  in  turn  many  valuable  criticisms  and  sugges- 
tions. Why,  when  we  began  to  suspect  the 
Honourable  David  Granton,  had  we  not,  as  if  by 
accident,  tried  to  knock  his  red  wig  off?  Why, 
when  the  Reverend  Richard  Peploe  Brabazon  first 
discussed  the  question  of  the  paste  diamonds,  had 
we  not  looked  to  see  if  any  of  Amelia's  unique  gems 
were  missing?  Why,  when  Professor  Schleier- 
macher  made  his  bow  to  assembled  science  at 
Lancaster  Gate,  had  we  not  strictly  inquired  how  far 
he  was  personally  known  beforehand  to  Sir  Adolphus 
Cordery  and  the  other  mineralogists  ?  He  supplied 
us  also  with  several  good  hints  about  false  hair  and 
make-up  ;  such  as  that  Schleiermacher  was  probably 
much  shorter  than  he  looked,  but  by  imitating  a 
stoop  with  padding  at  his  back  he  had  produced  the 
illusion  of  a  tall  bent  man,  though  in  reality  no 
bigger  than  the  little  curate  or  the  Graf  von 
Lebenstein.  High  heels  did  the  rest ;  while  the 
scientific  keenness  we  noted  in  his  face  was  doubtless 
brought  about  by  a  trifle  of  wax  at  the  end  of  the 
nose,  giving  a  peculiar  tilt  that  is  extremely  effective. 
In  short,  I  must  frankly  admit,  Medhurst  made  us 
feci  ashamed  of  ourselves.  Sharp  as  Charles  is,  we 
realised  at  once  he  was  nowhere  in  observation 
beside  the  trained  and  experienced  senses  of  this 
piofussional  detective.  ; 


J70 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


The  worst  of  it  all  was,  while  Medhurst  was  with 
us,  by  some  curious  fatality,  Colonel  Clay  stopped 
away  from  us.  Now  and  again,  to  be  sure,  we  ran 
up  against  somebody  whom  Medhurst  suspected  ; 
but  after  a  short  investigation  (conducted,  I  may 
say,  with  admirable  cleverness),  the  spy  always 
showed  us  the  doubtful  person  was  really  some 
innocent  and  well-known  character,  whose  ante- 
cedents and  surroundings  he  elucidated  most  wonder- 
fully. He  was  a  perfect  marvel,  too,  in  his  faculty 
of  suspicion.  He  suspected  everybody.  If  an  old 
friend  dropped  in  to  talk  business  with  Charles,  we 
found  out  afterwards  that  Medhurst  had  lain  corj- 
cealed  all  the  time  behind  the  curtain,  and  had  taltcD 
short-hand  notes  of  the  whole  conversation,  sr  w^n 
as  snap-shot  photographs  of  the  supposed  aharpei, 
by  means  of  a  kodak.  If  a  fat  old  lady  came  io 
call  upon  Amelia,  Medhurjt  was  sure  to  be  lurxing 
under  the  ottoman  L  the  drawing-  oom,  and  carefully 
observing,  with  all  his  eyes,  whether  or  not  she  was 
really  Mme.  Picardet,  padded.  When  Lady  Tresco 
brought  her  four  plain  daughters  to  an  '  At  Home ' 
one  night,  Medhurst,  in  evening  dress,  disguised  as  a 
waiter,  followed  them  each  round  the  room  with 
obtrusive  ices,  to  satisfy  himself  just  how  much  of 
their  complexion  was  real,  and  how  much  was  patent 
rouge  and  Bloom  of  Ninon,  He  doubted  whether 
Si'npson,  Sir  Charles's  valet,  was  not  Colonel  Clay 
in  plain  ciotlirM  ;  and  he  had  half  an  idea  that 
C^sar|nR  l|ei"ti|f  was  our  saucy  White  Heather  in  an 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  ARREST  OF  THE  COLONEL     171 


;sco 


alternative  avatar.  We  pointed  out  to  him  in  vain 
that  Simpson  had  often  been  present  in  the  very 
same  room  with  David  Granton,  and  that  C^sarine 
had  dressed  Mrs.  Brabazon's  hair  at  Lucerne :  this 
partially  satisfied  him,  but  only  partially.  He  re- 
marked that  Simpson  might  double  both  parts  with 
somebody  else  unknown  ;  and  that  as  for  C^sarine, 
she  might  w^ll  have  a  twin  sister  who  took  her  place 
when  she  was  Mme.  Picardet. 

Still,  in  spite  of  all  his  care — or  because  of  all 
his  care — Colonel  Clay  stopped  away  for  whole 
weeks  together.  An  explanation  occurred  to  us. 
Was  it  possible  he  knew  we  were  guarded  and 
watched  ?  Was  he  afraid  of  measuring  swords  with 
this  trained  detective? 

If  so,  how  had  he  found  it  out?  I  had  an 
inkling,  myself — but,  under  all  the  circumstances, 
I  did  not  mention  it  to  Charles.  It  was  clear 
that  Cesarine  intensely  disliked  this  new  a^'dition 
to  the  Vandrift  household.  She  would  not  op  in 
the  room  where  the  detective  was,  or  sh  ,v  him 
common  politeness.  She  spoke  of  him  a  ays  as 
'that  odious  man,  Medhurst.'  Could  sae  have 
guessed,  what  none  of  the  other  servants  3w,  that 
the  man  was  a  rpy  in  search  of  the  Colonel  ?  I 
was  inclined  to  believe  it.  And  then  it  dawned 
upon  me  that  Cdsarine  had  known  all  about  the 
diamonds  and  their  story  ;  that  it  was  Cesarine  who 
took  us  to  see  Schloss  Lebenstein  ;  that  it  was 
Cesarine    who    posted    the    letter    to    Lord    Craig- 


172 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


imv:' 


Ellachie !  If  Cesarine  was  in  league  with  Colonel 
Clay,  as  I  was  half  inclined  to  surmise,  what  more 
natural  than  her  obvious  dislike  to  the  detective  who 
was  there  to  catch  her  principal?  What  more 
simple  for  her  than  to  warn  her  fellow-conspirator  of 
the  danger  that  awaited  him  if  he  approached  this 
man  Medhurst? 

However,  I  was  too  much  frightened  by  the 
episode  of  the  cheque  to  say  anything  of  my  nascent 
suspicions  to  Charles.  I  waited  rather  to  see  how 
events  would  shape  themselves. 

After  a  while  Medhurst's  vigilance  grew  positively 
annoying.  More  than  once  he  came  to  Charles  with 
reports  and  shorthand  notes  distinctly  distasteful  to 
my  excellent  brother-in-law.  *  The  fellow  is  getting 
to  know  too  much  about  us,'  Charles  said  to  me  one 
day.  '  Why,  Scy,  he  spies  out  everything.  W^ould 
you  believe  it,  when  I  had  that  confidential  interview 
with  Brook  field  the  other  day,  about  the  new  issue 
of  Golcondas,  the  man  was  under  the  easy-chair, 
though  I  searched  the  room  beforehand  to  make 
sure  he  wasn't  there  ;  and  he  came  to  me  afterwards 
with  full  notes  of  the  conversation,  to  assure  me  he 
thought  Brookfield — whom  I've  known  for  ten 
years — was  too  tall  by  half  an  inch  to  be  one  of 
Colonel  Clay's  impersonations.' 

'  Oh,  but.  Sir  Charles,'  Medhurst  cried,  emerging 
suddenly  from  the  bookcase,  *  you  must  never  look 
upon  anjy  one  as  above  suspicion  merely  because 
you've   known    him    for    ten   years   or   thereabouts. 


J 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  ARREST  OF  THE  COLONEL     173 


Colonel  Clay  may  have  approached  you  at  various 
times  under  many  disguises.  He  may  have  built  up 
this  i\vn<^  gradually.  Besides,  as  to  my  knowing 
too  much,  why,  of  course,  a  detective  always  learns 


MEDHUKST   SUDDFM.Y   EMERGED   FROM   THE 

liOOKCASU. 


many  things  about  his  employer's  family  which  he 
is  not  supposed  to  know  ;  but  professional  honour 
and  professional  etiquette,  as  with  doctors  and 
lawyers,  compel  him  to  lock  them  up  as  absolute 
secrets  in  his  own  bosom.      You  need  never  be  afraid 


'74 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


I  will  divulge  one  jot  of  them.  If  I  did,  my 
occupation  would  be  gone,  and  my  reputation 
shattered.' 

Charles  looked  at  him,  appalled.  '  Do  you  dare 
to  say,'  he  burst  out,  *  you've  been  listening  to  my 
talk  with  my  brother-in-law  and  secretary  ?  * 

'  Why,  of  course,'  Medhurst  answered.  '  It's  my 
business  to  listen,  and  to  suspect  everybody.  If  you 
push  me  to  say  so,  how  do  I  know  Colonel  Clay  is 
not — Mr.  Wentworth  ? ' 

Charles  withered  him  with  a  look.  '  In  future, 
Medhurst,*  he  said,  '  you  must  never  conceal  yourself 
in  a  room  where  I  am  without  my  leave  and  know- 
ledge.' 

Medhurst  bowed  politely.  '  Oh,  as  you  will,  Sir 
Charles,'  he  answered  ;  '  that's  quite  at  your  own  wish. 
Though  how  can  I  act  as  an  efficient  detective,  any 
way,  if  you  insist  upon  tying  my  hands  like  that, 
beforehand  ? ' 

Again  I  detected  a  faint  American  flavour. 

After  that  rebuff,  however,  Medhurst  seemed  put 
upon  his  mettle.  He  redoubled  his  vigilance  in 
every  direction.  *  It's  not  my  fault,'  he  said  plain- 
tively, one  day,  '  if  my  reputation's  so  good  that, 
while  I'm  near  you,  this  rogue  won't  approach  you. 
If  I  can't  catch  him,  at  least  I  keep  htm  away  from 
coming  near  you  1 ' 

A  few  days  later,  however,  he  brought  Charles 
some  photographs.  These  he  produced  with  evident 
pride.     The  first  he  showed  us  was  a  vignette  of  a 


; 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  ARREST  OF  THE  COLONEL     175 


•les 

int 

a 


little    parson.       *  Who's    that,    then  ? '    he   inquired, 
much  pleased. 

We  gazed  at  it,  open-eyed.  One  word  rose  to 
our  lips  simultaneously  :  *  Brabazon  ! ' 

*  And  how's  this  for  high  ? '  he  asked  again, 
producing  another — the  photograph  of  a  gay  young 
dog  in  a  Tyrolese  costume. 

We  murmured,  '  Von  Lebenstein  ! ' 

*  And  this  ?  *  he  continued,  showing  us  the  portrait 
of  a  lady  with  a  most  fetching  squint. 

We  answered  with  one  voice,  '  Little  Mrs. 
Granton  ! ' 

Medhurst  was  naturally  proud  of  this  excellent 
exploit.  He  replaced  them  in  his  pocket-book  with 
an  air  of  just  triumph. 

'  How  did  you  get  them  ?  *  Charles  asked. 

Medhurst's  look  was  mysterious.  *  Sir  Charles,' 
he  answered,  drawing  himself  up,  '  I  must  ask  you 
to  trust  me  awhile  in  this  matter.  Remember,  there 
are  people  whom  you  decline  to  suspect.  /  have 
learned  that  it  is  always  those  very  people  who  are 
most  dangerous  to  capitalists.  If  I  were  to  give  you 
the  names  now,  you  would  refuse  to  believe  me. 
Therefore,  I  hold  them  over  discreetly  for  the  moment. 
One  thing,  however,  I  say.  I  know  to  a  certainty 
where  Colonel  Clay  is  at  this  present  speaking. 
But  I  will  lay  my  plans  deep,  and  I  hope  before  long 
to  secure  him.  You  shall  be  present  when  I  do  so  ; 
and  I  shall  make  him  confess  his  personality  openly. 
More  than  that  you  cannot  reasonably  ask,     I  shall 


II 


X7« 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


leave  it  to  you^  then,  whether  or  not  you  wish  to 
arrest  him.' 

Charles  was  considerably  puzzled,  not  to  say 
piqued,  by  this  curious  reticence  ;  he  begged  hard 
for  names ;  but  Medhurst  was  adamant.  '  No,  no,* 
he  replied  ;  '  we  detectives  have  our  own  just  pride 
in  our  profession.  If  I  told  you  now,  you  would 
probably  spoil  all  by  some  premature  action.  You  are 
too  open  and  impulsive  !  I  will  mention  this  alone  : 
Colonel  Clay  will  be  shortly  in  Paris,  and  before 
•long  will  begin  from  that  city  a  fresh  attempt  at 
defrauding  you,  which  he  is  now  hatching.  Mark 
my  words,  and  see  whether  or  not  I  have  been  kept 
well  informed  of  the  fellow's  movements  ! ' 

He  was  perfectly  correct.  Two  days  later,  as  it 
turned  out,  Charles  received  a  *  confidential '  letter 
from  Paris,  purporting  to  come  from  the  head  of  a 
second-rate  financial  house  with  which  he  had  had 
dealings  over  the  Craig- Ellachie  Amalgamation — by 
this  time,  I  ought  to  have  said,  an  accomplished 
union.  It  was  a  letter  of  small  importance  in  itself 
— a  mere  matter  of  detail  ;  but  it  paved  the  way,  so 
Medhurst  thought,  to  some  later  development  of 
more  serious  character.  Here  once  more  the  man's 
singular  foresight  was  justified.  For,  in  another  week, 
we  received  a  second  communication,  containing 
other  proposals  of  a  delicate  financial  character, 
which  would  have  involved  the  transference  of  some 
two  thousand  pounds  to  the  head  of  the  Parisian 
firm  at  an  address  given.     Both  these  letters  Med- 


/ 


t 


1 


i 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  ARREST  OF  THE  COLONEL     177 


to 


/ 


T 


, 


hurst  cleverly  compared  with  those  written  to 
Charles  before,  in  the  names  of  Colonel  Clay  and  of 
Graf  von  Lebenstein.  At  first  sight,  it  is  true,  the 
differences  between  the  two  seemed  quite  enormous  : 
the  Paris  hand  was  broad  and  black,  large  and  bold ; 
while  the  earlier  manuscript  was  small,  neat,  thin, 
and  gentlemanly.  Still,  when  Medhurst  pointed  out 
to  us  certain  persistent  twists  in  the  formation  of  his 
capitals,  and  certain  curious  peculiarities  in  the 
relative  length  of  his  i's,  his  /'s,  his  ^'s,  and  his  /I's, 
we  could  see  for  ourselves  he  was  right ;  both 
were  the  work  of  one  hand,  writing  in  the  one  case 
with  a  sharp-pointed  nib,  very  small,  and  in  the 
other  with  a  quill,  very  large  and  freely. 

This  discovery  was  most  important.  We  stood 
now  within  measurable  distance  of  catching  Colonel 
Clay,  and  bringing  forgery  and  fraud  home  to  him 
without  hope  of  evasion. 

To  make  all  sure,  however,  Medhurst  communi- 
cated with  the  Paris  police,  and  showed  us  their 
answers.  Meanwhile,  Charles  continued  to  write  to 
the  head  of  the  firm,  who  had  given  a  private  address 
in  the  Rue  Jean  Jacques,  alleging,  I  must  say,  a 
most  clever  reason  why  the  negotiations  at  this  stage 
should  be  confidentially  conducted.  But  one  never 
expected  from  Colonel  Clay  anything  less  than  con- 
summate cleverness.  In  the  end,  it  was  arranged 
that  we  three  were  to  go  over  to  Paris  together,  that 
Medhurst  was  to  undertake,  under  the  guise  of  being 
Sir  Charles,  to  pay  the  two  thousand  pounds  to  the 

N 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


us 


1^  1^ 

2.2 


Bi 


40 


2£ 

ILi 


11.25  ■  1.4 


Hiotpgraphic 

Sciences 

Coiporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  US80 

(716)872-4503 


i  ■; 


178 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


'ii 


pretended  financier,  and  that  Charles  and  I,  waiting 
with  the  police  outside  the  door,  should,  at  a  given 
signal,  rush  in  with  our  forces  and  secure  the 
criminal. 

We  went  over  accordingly,  and  spent  the  night 


THE  DISCOVERY  WAS  MOST  IMPORTANT. 

at  the  Grand,  as  is  Charles's  custom.  The  Bristol, 
which  I  prefer,  he  finds  too  quiet.  Early  next 
morning  we  took  a  fiacre  and  drove  to  the  Rue 
Jean  Jacques.  Medhurst  had  arranged  everything 
in  advance  with  the  Paris  police,  three  of  whom,  in 
plain  clothes,  were  waiting  at  the  foot  of  the  stair- 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  ARREST  OF  THE  COLONEL     179 


iting 

iven 

the 

light 


stol, 
lext 
Rue 
ling 
1,  in 
:air- 


case  to  assist  us.  Charles  had  further  provided 
himself  with  two  thousand  pounds,  in  notes  of  the 
Bank  of  France,  in  order  that  the  payment  might 
be  duly  made,  and  no  doubt  arise  as  to  the  crime 
having  been  perpetrated  as  well  as  meditated — in 
the  former  case,  the  penalty  would  be  fifteen  years  ; 
in  the  latter,  three  only.  He  was  in  very  high 
spirits.  The  fact  that  we  had  tracked  the  rascal  to 
earth  at  last,  and  were  within  an  hour  of  apprehend- 
ing him,  was  in  itself  enough  to  raise  his  courage 
greatly.  We  found,  as  we  expected,  that  the  number 
given  in  the  Rue  Jean  Jacques  was  that  of  an  hotel, 
not  a  private  residence.  Medhurst  went  in  first, 
and  inquired  of  the  landlord  v/hether  our  man  was 
at  home,  at  the  same  time  'iforming  him  of  the 
nature  of  our  errand,  and  giving  him  to  understand 
that  if  we  effected  the  capture  by  his  friendly  aid, 
Sir  Charles  would  see  that  the  expenses  incurred 
on  the  swindler's  bill  were  met  in  full,  as  the  price 
of  his  assistance.  The  landlord  bowed;  he  expressed 
his  deep  regret,  as  M.  le  Colonel — so  we  heard  him 
call  him — was  a  most  amiable  person,  much  liked 
by  the  household  ;  but  justice,  of  course,  must  have 
its  way ;  and,  with  a  regretful  sigh,  he  undertook  to 
assist  us. 

The  police  remained  below,  but  Charles  and 
Medhurst  were  each  provided  with  a  pair  of  hand- 
cuffs. Remembering  the  Polperro  case,  however,  we 
determined  to  use  them  with  the  grf^atest  caution. 
We   would    only  put   them   on   in   case  of  violent 


!  I 


i8o 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


resistance.  Wc  crept  up  to  the  door  where  the 
miscreant  was  housed.  Charles  handed  the  notes 
in  an  open  envelope  to  Medhurst,  who  seized  them 


BREATHLESS   EXPECTATION. 


hastily  and  held  them  in  his  hands  in  readiness  for 
action.  We  had  a  sign  concerted.  Whenever  he 
sneezed — which    he   could    do  in    the  most  natural 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  ARREST  OF  THE  COLONEL     i8l 


manner — we  were   to  open  the  door,  rush  in,  and 
secure  the  criminal  1 

He  was  gone  for  some  minutes.  Charles  and  I 
waited  outside  in  breathless  expectation.  Then 
Medhurst  sneezed.  We  flung  the  door  open  at  once, 
and  burst  in  upon  the  creature. 

Medhurst  rose  as  we  did  so.  He  pointed  with 
his  finger.  *  This  is  Colonel  Clay  ! '  he  said  ;  *  keep 
him  well  in  charge  while  I  go  down  to  the  door  for 
the  police  to  arrest  him  1 ' 

A  gentlemanly  man,  about  middle  height,  with  a 
grizzled  beard  and  a  well-assumed  military  aspect, 
rose  at  the  same  moment.  The  envelope  in  which 
Charles  had  placed  the  notes  lay  on  the  table  before 
him.  He  clutched  it  nervously.  '  I  am  at  a  loss, 
gentlemen,'  he  said,  in  an  excited  voice,  '  to  account 
for  this  interruption.'  He  spoke  with  a  tremor,  yet 
with  all  the  politeness  to  which  we  were  accustomed 
in  the  little  curate  and  the  Honourable  David. 

*  No  nonsense  I '  Charles  exclaimed,  in  his  authori- 
tative way.  '  We  know  who  you  are.  We  have 
found  you  out  this  time.  You  are  Colonel  Clay. 
If  you  attempt  to  resist — take  care — I  will  handcuff 
you!' 

The  military  gentleman  gave  a  start.  '  Yes,  I 
am  Colonel  Clay,'  he  answered.  '  On  what  charge 
do  you  arrest  me  ? ' 

Charles  was  bursting  with  wrath.  The  fellow's 
coolness  seemed  never  to  desert  him.  '  You  are 
Colonel    Clay  I  *  he  muttered.     '  You    have   the  un- 


i8a 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


speakable    effrontery    to    stand     there    and    admit 
it?' 

*  Certainly,'  the  Colonel  answered,  growing  hot  in 
turn.  *  I  have  done  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of. 
What  do  you  mean  by  this  conduct?  How  dare 
you  talk  of  arresting  me  ? ' 

Charles  laid  his  hand  on  the  man's  shoulder. 
*  Come,  come,  my  friend,'  he  said.  *  That  sort  of 
bluff  won't  go  down  with  us.  You  know  very  well 
on  what  charge  I  arrest  you ;  and  here  are  the 
police  to  give  effect  to  it.' 

He  called  out  '  Entrez  ! '  The  police  entered  the 
room.  Charles  explained  as  well  as  he  could  in 
most  doubtful  Parisian  what  they  were  next  to  do. 
The  Colonel  drew  himself  up  in  an  indignant  attitude. 
He  turned  and  addressed  them  in  excellent  French. 

*  I  am  an  officer  in  the  service  of  her  Britannic 
Majesty,'  he  said.  '  On  what  ground  do  you  venture 
to  interfere  with  me,  messieurs  ?  * 

The  chief  policeman  explained.  The  Colonel 
turned  to  Charles.     *  Vour  name,  sir  ? '  he  inquired. 

*  You  know  it  very  well,'  Charles  answered.  *  I 
am  Sir  Charles  Vandrift ;  and,  in  spite  of  your  clever 
disguise,  I  can  instantly  recognise  you.  I  know 
your  eyes  and  ears.  I  can  see  the  same  man  who 
cheated  me  at  Nice,  and  who  insulted  me  on  the 
island.*  , 

*  Vou  Sir  Charles  Vandrift !  *  the  rogue  cried. 
'  No,  no,  sir,  you  are  a  madman  !  * .  He  looked  round 
at  the  police.     '  Take  care  what  you  do !  *  he  cried. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  ARREST  OF  THE  COLONEL     183 


'This  is  a  raving  maniac.  I  had  business  just  now 
with  Sir  Charles  Vandrift,  who  quitted  the  room  as 
these  gentlemen  entered.  This  person  is  mad,  and 
you,  monsieur,  I  doubt  not,*  bowing  to  me,  '  you  are, 
of  course,  his  keeper.' 

*  Do  not  let  him  deceive  you,*  I  cried  to  the  police, 
beginning  to  fear  that  with  his  usual  incredible 
cleverness  the  fellow  would  even  now  manage  to  slip 
through  our  fingers.  *  Arrest  him,  as  you  are  told. 
We  will  take  the  responsibility.*  Though  I  trembled 
when  I  thought  of  that  cheque  he  held  of  mine. 

The  chief  of  our  three  policemen  came  forward 
and  laid  his  hand  on  the  culprit's  shoulder.  *  I 
advise  you,  M.  le  Colonel,'  he  said,  in  an  official  voice, 

*  to  come  with  us  quietly  for  the  present.  Before  the 
j'u^e  cTinstruction  we  can  enter  at  length  into  all  these 
questions.' 

The  Colonel,  very  indignant  still — and  acting  the 
part  marvellously — yielded  and  went  along  with 
them. 

*  Where's  Medhurst  ? '  Charles  inquired,  glancing 
round  as  we  reached  the  door.  *  I  wish  he  had 
stopped  with  us.' 

'  You  are  looking  for  monsieur  your  friend  ?  *  the 
landlord  inquired,  with  a  side  bow  to  the  Colonel. 

*  He  has  gone  away  in  a  fiacre.  He  asked  me  to 
give  this  note  to  you.' 

He  handed  us  a  twisted  note.  Charles  opened 
and  read  it.  *  Invaluable  man  ! '  he  cried.  '  Just 
hear  what  he  says,  Sey :  "  Having  secured  Colonel 


1 84 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


^1 J 


Clay,  I  am  off  now  again  on  the  track  of  Mme. 
Picardet.  She  was  lodging  in  the  same  house.  She 
has  just  driven  away  ;  I  know  to  what  place  ;  and 
I  am  after  her  to  arrest  her.  In  blind  haste,  Med- 
HURST."  That's  smartness,  if  you  like.  Thougii, 
poor  little  woman,  I  think  he  might  have  left  her.' 

'Does  a  Mme.  Picardet  stop  here?'  I  inquired 
of  the  landlord,  thinking  it  possible  she  might  have 
assumed  again  the  sarrie  old  alias. 

He  nodded  assent.  '  Oiii^  out,  oui*  he  answered. 
*  She  has  just  driven  off,  and  monsieur  your  friend 
has  gone  posting  after  her.' 

'  Splendid  man  1 '  Charles  cried.  '  Marvillier  was 
quite  right.      He  is  the  prince  of  detectives  ! ' 

We  hailed  a  couple  oi  fiacres,  and  drove  off,  in 
two  detachments,  to  the  juge  d' instruction.  There 
Colonel  Clay  continued  to  brazen  it  out,  and  asserted 
that  he  was  an  officer  in  the  Indian  Army,  home  on 
six  months*  leave,  and  spending  some  weeks  in  Paris. 
He  even  declared  he  was  known  at  the  Embassy, 
where  he  had  a  cousin  an  attach^ ;  and  he  asked 
that  this  gentleman  should  be  sent  for  at  once  from 
our  Ambassador's  to  identify  him.  They«^^  d'instruc- 
tion  insisted  that  this  must  be  done ;  and  Charles 
waited  in  very  bad  humour  for  the  foolish  formality. 
It  really  seemed  as  if,  after  all,  when  we  had  actually 
caught  and  arrested  our  man,  he  was  going  by  some 
cunning  device  to  escape  us. 

After  a  delay  of  more  than  an  hour,  during  which 
Colonel  Clay  fretted  c.nd  fumed  quite  as  much  as  we 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  ARRESi   OF  THE  COLONEL     185 


did,  the  attache  arrived.  To  our  horror  and  aston- 
ishment, he  proceeded  to  salute  the  prisoner  most 
affectionately. 

'  Halloa,  Algy ! '  he  cried,  grasping  his  hand ; 
*  what's  up  ?  What  do  these  ruffians  want  with 
you?' 

It  began  to  dawn  upon  us,  then,  what  Medhurst 


HE  ACCUSES   ME   OF  FORGERY,    FRAUD,    AND  THEFT. 

had  meant  by  *  suspecting  everybody  * :  the  real- 
Colonel  Clay  was  no  common  adventurer,  but  a 
gentleman  of  birth  and  high  connections  I 

The  Colonel  glared  at  us.  *  This  fellow  declares 
he's  Sir  Charles  Vandrift,'  he  said  sulkily.  'Though, 
in  fact,  there  are  two  of  them.  And  he  accuses  me 
of  forgery,  fraud,  and  theft,  Bertie.' 

The  attach^  stared  hard  at  us.  *  This  is  Sir 
Charles  Vandrift,'  he  replied,  after  a  moment.      *  I 


i86 


AN  >'^RICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


remember  hearing  hiqp  make  a  speech  once  at  a  City 
dinner.  And  what  charge  have  you  to  prefer,  Sir 
Charles,  against  my  cousin  ?  * 

'  Your  cousin  ? '  Charles  cried.  *  This  is  Colonel 
Clay,  the  notorious  sharper  ! ' 

The  attache  smiled  a  gentlemanly  and  superior 
smile.  *  This  is  Colonel  Clay,*  he  answered, '  of  the 
Bengal  Staff  Corps.' 

It  began  to  strike  us  there  was  something  wrong 
somewhere. 

'  But  he  has  cheated  me,  all  the  same,'  Charles 
said — 'at  Nice  two  years  ago,  and  many  times  since ; 
and  this  very  day  he  has  tricked  me  out  of  two 
thousand  pounds  in  French  bank-notes,  which  he 
has  now  about  him  I ' 

The  Colonel  was  speechless.  But  the  attache 
laughed.  *  What  he  has  done  to-day  I  don't  know,' 
he  said  ;  *  but  if  it's  as  apocryphal  as  what  you  say 
he  did  two  years  ago,  you've  a  thundering  bad  case, 
sir;  for  he  was  then  in  India,  and  I  was  out  there, 
visiting  him.' 

'Where  are  the  two  thousand  pounds?'  Charles 
cried.  *  Why,  you've  got  them  in  your  hand  1  You're 
holding  the  envelope  ! ' 

The  Colonel  produced  it  *This  envelope,'  he 
said,  *  was  left  with  me  by  the  man  with  short  stiff 
hair,  who  came  just  before  you,  and  who  announced 
himself  as  Sir  Charles  Vandrift  He  said  he  was 
interested  in  tea  in  Assam,  and  wanted  me  to  join 
the   board    of  directors  of  some   bogus  company. 


r 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  ARREST  OF  THE  COLONEL     187 


These  are  his  papers,  I  believe,'  and  he  handed  them 
to  his  cousin. 

'Well,  I'm  glad  the  notes  are  safe,  anyhow,' 
Charles  murmured,  in  a  tone  of  relief,  beginning  to 
smell  a  rat.     '  Will  you  kindly  return  them  to  me  ? ' 

The  attache  turned  out  the  contents  of  the 
envelope.  They  proved  to  be  prospectuses  of 
bubble  companies  of  the  moment,  of  no  importance. 

'  Medhurst  must  have  put  them  there,'  I  cried, 
'and  decamped  with  the  cash.' 

Charles  gave  a  groan  of  horror.  *  And  Medhurst 
is  Colonel  Clay  I*  he  exclaimed,  clapping  his  hand 
to  his  for-^'iead. 

'  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,'  the  Colonel  interposed. 
'  I  have  but  one  personality,  and  no  aliases.' 

It  took  quite  half  an  hour  to  explain  this  im- 
broglio. But  as  soon  as  all  was  explained,  in  French 
and  English,  to  the  satisfaction  of  ourselves  and  the 
juge  d*instruciion,  the  real  Colonel  shook  hands  with 
us  in  a  most  forgiving  way,  and  informed  us  that  he 
had  more  than  once  wondered,  when  he  gave  his 
name  at  shops  in  Paris,  why  it  was  often  received 
with  such  grave  suspicion.  We  instructed  the  police 
that  the  true  culprit  was  Medhurst.  whom  they  had 
seen  with  their  own  eyes,  and  whom  we  urged  them 
to  pursue  with  all  expedition.  Meanwhile,  Charles 
and  I,  accompanied  by  the  Colonel  and  the  attach^ 
— *  to  see  the  fun  out,'  as  they  said — called  at  the 
Bank  of  France  for  the  purpose  of  stopping  the 
notes  immediately.     It  was  too  late,  however.    They 


1 88 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


had  been  presented  at  once,  and  cashed  In  gold,  by 
a  pleasant  little  lady  in  an  American  costume,  who 
was  afterwards  identified  by  the  hotel-keeper  (from 
our  description)  as  his  lodger,  Mme.  Picardet.  It 
was  clear  she  had  taken  rooms  in  the  same  hotel,  to 
be  near  the  Indian  Colonel ;  and  it  was  she  who  had 
received  and  sent  the  letters.  As  for  our  foe,  he  had 
vanished  into  space,  as  always. 

Two  days  later  we  received  the  usual  insulting 
communication  on  a  sheet  of  Charles's  own  dainty 
note.  Last  time  he  wrote  it  was  on  Craig-EUachie 
paper:  this  time,  like  the  wanton  lapwing,  he  had 
got  himself  another  crest 


•Most  Perspicacious  of  Millionaires! — 
Said  I  not  well,  as  Medhurst,  that  you  must  distrust 
everybody  ?  And  the  one  man  you  never  dreamt  of 
distrusting  was — Medhurst  Yet  see  how  truthful  I 
was  I  I  told  you  I  knew  where  Colonel  Clay  was 
living — and  I  did  know,  exactly.  I  promised  to 
take  you  to  Colonel  Clay's  rooms,  and  to  get  him 
arrested  for  you — and  I  kept  my  promise.  I  even 
exceeded  your  expectations ;  for  I  gave  you  two 
Colonel  Clays  instead  of  one — and  you  took  the 
wrong  man — that  is  to  say,  the  real  one.  This  was 
a  neat  little  trick ;  but  it  cost  me  some  trouble. 

'  First,  I  found  out  there  was  a  real  Colonel  Clay, 
in  the  Indian  Army.  I  also  found  out  he  chanced 
to  be  coming  home  on  leave  this  season.  I  might 
have  made  more  out  of  him,  no  doubt ;  but  I  dis- 


/ 


THE  EliSODE  OF  THE  ARREST  OF  THE  COLONEL      189 


liked  annoying  him,  and  preferred  to  give  myself 
the  fun  of  this  peculiar  mystification.  1  therefore 
waited  for  him  to  reach  Paris,  where  the  police 
arrangements  suited  me  better  than  in  London. 
While  I  was  looking  about,  and  delaying  operations 
for  his  return,  I  happened  to  hear  you  wanted  a 
detective.  So  I  o.Tered  myself  as  out  of  work  to  my 
old  employer,  Marvillier,  from  whom  I  have  had 
many  good  jobs  in  the  past ;  and  there  you  get,  in 
short,  the  kernel  of  the  Colonel. 

'  Naturally,  after  this,  I  can  never  go  back  as  a 
detective  to  Marvillier's.  But,  on  the  large  scale  on 
which  I  have  learned  to  work  since  I  first  had  the 
pleasure  of  making  your  delightful  acquaintance,  this 
matters  little.  To  say  the  truth,  I  begin  to  feel 
detective  work  a  cut  or  two  below  me.  I  am  now  a 
gentleman  of  means  and  leisure.  Besides,  the  extra 
knowledge  of  your  movements  which  I  have  acquired 
in  your  house  has  helped  still  further  to  give  me 
various  holds  upon  you.  So  the  fluke  will  be  true 
to  his  own  pet  lamb.  To  vary  the  metaphor,  you 
are  not  fully  shorn  yet. 

*  Remember  me  most  kindly  to  your  charming 
family,  give  Wentworth  my  love,  and  tell  Mile. 
C^sarine  I  owe  her  a  grudge  which  I  shall  never 
forget.  She  clearly  suspected  me.  You  are  much 
too  rich,  dear  Charles  ;  I  relieve  your  plethora.  I 
bleed  you  financially.  Therefore  I  consider  myself 
— Your  sincerest  friend, 

•  Clay-Brabazon-Medhurst, 
*  Fellow  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons! 


■' 


190 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


Charles  was  threatened  with  apoplexy.  This 
blow  was  severe.  *  Whom  can  I  trust/  he  asked, 
plaintively,  *  when  the  detectives  themselves,  whom  I 
employ  to  guard  me,  turn  out  to  be  swindlers? 
Don't  you  remember  that  line  in  the  Latin  grammar 
— something  about,  "Who  shall  watch  the  watchers  ?  " 
I  think  it  used  to  run,  "Quis  custodes  custodiet 
ipsos?"' 

But  I  felt  this  episode  had  at  least  disproved  my 
suspicions  of  poor  C^sarine, 


US 

I 

s? 
ar 
?" 
let 

ny 


VIII 

THE   EPISODE   OF   THE   SELDON   GOLD-MINE 

On  our  return  to  London,  Charles  and  Marvillier  had 
a  difference  of  opinion  on  the  subject  of  Medhurst. 

Charles  maintained  that  Marvillier  ought  to  have 
known  the  man  with  the  cropped  hair  was  Colonel 
Clay,  and  ought  never  to  have  recommended  him. 
Marvillier  maintained  that  Charles  had  seen  Colonel 
Clay  half-a-dozen  times,  at  least,  to  his  own  never ; 
and  that  my  respected  brother-in-law  had  therefore 
nobody  on  earth  but  himself  to  blame  if  the  rogue 
imposed  upon  him.  The  head  detective  had  known 
Medhurst  for  ten  years,  he  said,  as  a  most  respectable 
man,  and  even  a  ratepayer ;  he  had  always  found 
him  the  cleverest  of  spies,  as  well  he  might  be, 
indeed,  on  the  familiar  set-a-thief-to-catch-a-thief 
principle.  However,  the  upshot  of  it  all  was,  as 
usual — nothing.  Marvillier  was  sorry  to  lose  the 
services  of  so  excellent  a  hand  ;  but  he  had  done 
the  very  best  he  could  for  Sir  Charles,  he  declared  ; 
and  if  Sir  Charles  was  not  satisfied,  why,  he  might 
catch  his  Colonel  Clays  for  himself  in  future. 

'  So  I  will,  Sey,'  Charles  remarked  to  me,  as  we 


■'»*'"xs"ai«i,j»i**,.^, ,,»,, 


Uj2 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


walked  back  from  the  office  in  the  Strand  by 
Piccadilly.  *  I  won't  trust  any  more  to  these  private 
detectives.  It's  my  belief  they're  a  pack  of  thieves 
themselves,  in  lca_,ue  with  the  rascals  they're  set  to 
catch,  and  with  no  more  sense  of  honour  than  a  Zulu 
diamond-hand.' 

*  Better  try  the  police,'  I  suggested,  by  way  of 
being  helpful.  One  must  assume  an  interest  in  one's 
employer's  business. 

But  Charles  shook  his  head.  *  No,  no,*  he  said  ; 
*  I'm  sick  of  all  these  fellows.  I  shall  trust  in 
fu^^ure  to  my  own  sagacity.  We  learn  by  experience, 
Sey — and  I've  learned  a  thing  or  two.  One  of  them 
is  this  :  It's  not  enough  to  suspect  everybody ;  you 
must  have  no  preconceptions.  Divest  yourself 
entirely  of  every  fixed  idea  if  you  wish  to  cope  with 
a  rascal  of  this  calibre.  Don't  jump  at  conclusions. 
We  should  disbelieve  everything,  as  well  as  distrust 
everybody.  That's  the  road  to  success ;  and  I  mean 
to  pursue  it' 

So,  by  way  of  pursuing  it,  Charles  retired  to 
Seldon. 

'  The  longer  the  man  goes  on,  the  worse  he 
grows,'  he  said  to  me  one  morning.  *  He's  just  like 
a  tiger  that  has  tasted  blood.  Every  successful  haul 
seems  only  to  make  him  more  eager  for  another.  I 
fully  expect  now  before  long  we  shall  see  him  down 
here.* 

About  three  weeks  later,  sure  enough,  my  re- 
spected connection  received  a  communication  from 


I 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  SELDON  GOLD-MINE       19J 


to 


If 


I 


k 


I 


the  abandoned  swindler,  with  an  Austrian  stamp  and 
a  Vienna  post-mark. 

'My  dear  Vandrift. — (After  so  lonjr  and  so 
varied  an  acquaintance  we  may  surely  drop  the 
absurd  formalities  of  "Sir  Charles"  and  "Colonel.") 
I  write  to  ask  you  a  delicate  question.  Can  you 
kindly  tell  me  exactly  how  much  I  have  received  from 
your  various  generous  acts  during  the  last  three  years? 
I  have  mislaid  my  account-book,  and  as  this  is  the 
season  for  making  the  income-tax  return,  I  am 
anxious,  as  an  honest  and  conscientious  citizen,  to 
set  down  my  average  profits  out  of  you  for  the 
triennial  period.  For  reasons  which  you  will  amply 
understand,  I  do  not  this  time  give  my  private 
address,  in  Paris  or  elsewhere  ;  but  if  you  will 
kindly  advertise  the  total  amount,  above  the  signature 
"  Peter  Simple,"  in  the  Agony  Column  of  the  Times, 
you  will  confer  a  great  favour  upon  the  Revenue 
Commissioners,  and  also  upon  your  constant  friend 
and  companion,  CuTHBERT  Clay, 

*  Practical  Socialist' 

*  Mark  my  word,  Sey,*  Charles  said,  laying  the 
letter  down,  *  in  a  week  or  less  the  man  himself  will 
follow.  This  is  his  cunning  way  of  trying  to  make 
me  think  he's  well  out  of  the  country  and  far  away 
from  Seldon.  That  means  he's  meditating  another 
descent.  But  he  told  us  too  much  last  time,  when 
he  was  Medhurst  the  detective.  He  gave  us  some 
hints  about  di-guises  and   their  unmasking   that   I 

0 


tti»i*limkkAiw^,^,^ 


194 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


: 


I 


shall  not  forget.  This  turn  I  shall  be  even  with 
him.' 

On  Saturday  of  that  week,  in  effect,  we  were 
walking  along  the  road  that  leads  into  the  village, 
when  we  met  a  gentlemanly -looking  man,  in  a 
rough  and  rather  happy-go-lucky  brown  tweed  suit, 
who  had  the  air  of  a  tourist.  He  was  middle-aged, 
and  of  middle  height ;  he  wore  a  small  leather 
wallet  suspended  round  his  shoulder ;  and  he  was 
peering  about  at  the  rocks  in  a  suspicious  manner. 
Something  in  his  gait  attracted  our  attention. 

'Good -morning,'  he  said,  looking  up  as  we 
passed  ;  and  Charles  muttered  a  somewhat  surly 
inarticulate,  '  Good-morning.' 

We  went  on  without  saying  more.  *  Well,  f/iafs 
not  Colonel  Clay,  anyhow,'  I  said,  as  we  got  out  of 
earshot.  '  For  he  accosted  us  first ;  and  you  may 
remember  it's  one  of  the  Colonel's  most  marked 
peculiarities  that,  like  the  model  child,  he  never 
speaks  till  he's  spoken  to — never  begins  an  acquaint- 
ance. He  always  waits  till  we  make  the  first 
advance  ;  he  doesn't  go  out  of  his  way  to  cheat  us  ; 
he  loiters  about  till  we  ask  him  to  do  it' 

'Seymour,'  my  brother-in-law  responded,  in  a 
severe  tone,  '  there  you  are,  now,  doing  the  very 
thing  I  warned  you  not  to  do  I  You're  succumbing 
to  a  preconception.  Avoid  fixed  ideas.  The  prob- 
ability is  this  man  t's  Colonel  Clay.  Strangers  are 
generally  scarce  at  Seldon.  If  he  isn't  Colonel 
Clay,  what's  he  here  for,  I'd  like  to  know  ?     What 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  SELDON  GOLD-MINE      195 


money  is  there  to  be  made  here  in  any  other  way  ? 
I  shall  inquire  about  him.' 

We  dropped  in  at  the  Cromarty  Arms,  and 
asked  good  Mrs.  M'Lachlan  if  she  could  tell  us 
anything  about  the  gentlemanly  stranger.  Mrs. 
M'Lachlan  replied  that  he  was  from  London,  she 
believed,  a  pleasant  gentleman  enough  ;  and  he  had 
his  wife  with  him. 

*  Ha  !  Young  ?  Pretty  ? '  Charles  inquired,  with  a 
speaking  glance  at  me. 

'  Weel,  Sir  Charles,  she'll  no  be  exactly  what 
you'd  be  ca'ing  a  bonny  lass,'  Mrs.  M'Lachlan 
replied ;  *  but  she's  a  guid  body  for  a'  that,  an'  a 
fine  braw  woman.' 

*Just  what  I  should  expect,'  Charles  murmured, 
'  He  varies  the  programme.  The  fellow  has  tried 
White  Heather  as  the  parson's  wife,  and  as  Madame 
Picardet,  and  as  squinting  little  Mrs.  Grantpn,  and 
as  Medhurst's  accomplice  ;  and  now,  he  has  almost 
exhausted  the  possibilities  of  a  disguise  for  a  really 
young  and  pretty  woman  ;  so  he's  playing  her  off 
at  last  as  the  riper  product — a  handsome  matron. 
Clever,  extremely  clever ;  but — we  begin  to  see 
through  him.'     And  he  chuckled  to  himself  quietly. 

Next  day,  on  the  hillside,  we  came  upon  our 
stranger  again,  occupied  as  before  in  peering  into 
the  rocks,  and  sounding  them  with  a  hammer. 
Charles  nudged  me  and  whispered,  '  I  have  it  this 
time.     He's  posing  as  a  geologist.' 

I  took  a  good   look  at  the  man.      By  now,  of 


■*"«««.*.*., 


196 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


course,  we  had  some  experience  of  Colonel  Clay  in 
his  various  disguises ;  and  I  could  observe  that 
while  the  nose,  the  hair,  and  the  beard  were  varied, 
the  eyes  and  the  build  remained  the  same  as  ever. 
He  was  a  trifle  stouter,  of  course,  being  got  up  as  a 


PEERING    AT    THE    ROCKS    IM    A    SUSPICIOUS    MANNER. 

man  of  between  forty  and  fifty  ;  and  his  forehead 
was  lined  in  a  way  which  a  less  consummate  artist 
than  Colonel  Clay  could  easily  have  imitated.  But 
I  felt  we  had  at  least  some  grounds  for  our  identi- 
fication ;  it  would  not  do  to  dismiss  the  suggestion 
of  Clayhood  at  once  as  a  flight  of  fancy. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  SELDON  GOLD-MINE      197 


His  wife  was  sitting  near,  upon  a  bare  boss  of 
rock,  reading  a  volume  of  poems.  Capital  variant, 
that,  a  volume  of  poems  I  Exactly  suited  the 
selected  type  of  a  cultivated  family.  White  Heather 
and  Mrs.  Granton  never  used  to  read  poems.  But 
that  was  characteristic  of  all  Colonel  Clay's  im- 
personations, and  Mrs.  Clay's  too — for  I  suppose  I 
must  call  her  so.  They  were  not  mere  outer 
disguises ;  they  were  finished  pieces  of  dramatic 
study.  Those  two  people  were  an  actor  and  actress, 
as  well  as  a  pair  of  rogues  ;  and  in  both  their  roles 
they  were  simply  inimitable. 

As  a  rule,  Charles  is  by  no  means  polite  to 
casual  trespassers  on  the  Seldon  estate  ;  they  get 
short  shrift  and  a  summary  ejection.  But  on  this 
occasion  he  had  a  reason  for  being  courteous,  and 
he  approached  the  lady  with  a  bow  of  recognition. 
'  Lovely  day,'  he  said,  '  isn't  it  ?  Such  belts  on  the 
sea,  and  the  heather  smells  sweet.  You  are  stopping 
at  the  inn,  I  fancy?* 

*  Yes,'  the  lady  answered,  looking  up  at  him 
with  a  charming  smile.  (*  I  know  that  smile,' 
Charles  whispered  to  me.  *  I  have  succumbed  to  it 
too  often.')  'We're  stopping  at  the  inn,  and  my 
husband  is  doing  a  little  geology  on  the  hill  here. 
I  hope  Sir  Charles  Vandrift  won't  come  and  catch 
us.  He's  so  down  upon  trespassers.  They  tell  us 
at  the  inn  he's  a  regular  Tartan' 

(*  Saucy  minx  as  ever,*  Charles  murmured  to  me. 
'  She  said  it  on  purpose.')     '  No,  my  dear  madam,'  he 


198 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


continued,  aloud  ;  '  you  have  been  quite  misinformed. 
/  am  Sir  Charles  Vandrift ;  and  I  am  not  a  Tartar. 
If  your  husband  is  a  man  of  science  I  respect  and 
admire  him.  It  is  geology  that  has  made  me  what 
I  am  to-day.'    And  he  drew  himself  up  proudly.    *  We 


I   HOPE   SIR   CHARLES   WON'T   COME   AND   CATCH    US. 


owe  to  it  the  present  development  of  South  African 
mining.' 

The  lady  blushed  as  one  seldom  sees  a  mature 
woman  blush — but  exactly  as  I  had  seen  Madame 
Picardet  and  White  Heather.  *  Oh,  I'm  so  sorry,' 
she  said,  in  a  confused  way  that  recalled  Mrs. 
Granton.  '  Forgive  my  hasty  speech.  I — I  didn't 
know  you.' 


brmed. 
Tartar. 
:t  and 
e  what 
.    'We 


^ 


ATCH    US. 

African 

mature 
adame 

sorry,' 
Mrs. 

didn't 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  SELDON  GOLD-MINE      199 

('She  did,'  Charles  whispered.  'But  let  that 
pass.')  '  Oh,  don't  think  of  it  again  ;  so  many 
people  disturb  the  birds,  don't  you  know,  that  we're 
obliged  in  self-defence  to  warn  trespassers  some- 
times off  our  lovely  mountains.  But  I  do  it  with 
rcgrc  — with  profound  regret.  I  admire  the — er — 
the  beauties  of  Nature  myself;  and,  therefore,  I 
desire  that  all  others  should  have  the  freest 
possible  access  to  them — possible,  that  is  to  say, 
consistently  with  the  superior  claims  of  Property.' 

*  I  see,'  the  lady  replied,  looking  up  at  him 
quaintly.  *I  admire  your  wish,  though  not  your 
reservation.  I've  just  been  reading  those  sweet 
lines  of  Wordsworth's — 

And  O,  ye  fountains,  meadows,  hills,  and  groves, 
Forebode  not  any  severing  of  our  loves. 

I  suppose  you  know  them  ? '  And  she  beamed  on 
him  pleasantly. 

'  Know  them  ? '  Charles  answered.  *  Know  them  1 
Oh,  of  course,  I  know  them.  They're  old  favourites 
of  mine — in  fact,  I  adore  Wordsworth.'  (I  doubt 
whether  Charles  has  ever  in  his  life  read  a  line  of 
poetry,except  Doss  Chiderdoss  in  the  Sporting  Times.) 
He  took  the  book  and  glanced  at  them.  'Ah,  charm- 
ing, charming!'  he  said,  in  his  most  ecstatic  tone. 
But  his  eyes  were  on  the  lady,  and  not  on  the  poet. 

I  saw  in  a  moment  how  things  stood.  No  matter 
under  what  disguise  that  woman  appeared  to  him, 
and  whether  he  recognised  her  or  not,  Charles  couldn't 
help  falling  a  victim  to  Madame  Picardet's  attractions. 


aoo 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


IK- 


Here  he  actually  suspected  her  ;  yet,  like  a  moth  round 
a  candle,  he  was  trying  his  hardest  to  get  his  wings 
singed  1  I  almost  despised  him  with  his  gigantic 
intellect  I  The  greatest  men  are  the  greatest  fools, 
I  verily  believe,  when  there's  a  woman  in  question. 

The  husband  strolled  up  by  this  time,  and  entered 
into  conversation  with  us.  According  to  his  own 
account,  his  name  was  Forbes-Gaskell,  and  he  was  a 
Professor  of  Geology  in  one  of  those  new-fangled 
northern  colleges.  He  had  come  to  Seldon  rock- 
spying,  he  said,  and  found  much  to  interest  him. 
He  was  fond  of  fossils,  but  his  special  hobby  was 
rocks  and  minerals.  He  knew  a  vast  deal  about 
cairngorms  and  agates  and  such-like  pretty  things,  and 
showed  Charles  quartz  and  felspar  and  red  cornelian, 
and  I  don't  know  what  else,  in  the  crags  on  the 
hillside.  Charles  pretended  to  listen  to  him  with 
the  deepest  interest  and  even  respect,  never  for  a 
moment  letting  him  guess  he  knew  for  what  purpose 
this  show  of  knowledge  had  been  recently  acquired. 
If  we  were  ever  to  catch  the  man,  we  must  not 
allow  him  to  see  we  suspected  him.  So  Charles 
played  a  dark  game.  He  swallowed  the  geologist 
whole  without  question. 

Most  of  that  morning  we  spent  with  them  on  the 
hillside.  Charles  took  them  everywhere  and  showed 
them  everything.  He  pretended  to  be  polite  to  the 
scientific  man,  and  he  was  really  polite,  most  polite, 
to  the  poetical  lady.  Before  lunch  time  we  had 
become  quite  friends.  •   .     . 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  SELDON  GOLD-MINE      201 


The  Clays  were  always  easy  people  to  get  on 
with  ;  and,  bar  their  roguery,  we  could  not  deny 
they  were  delightful  companions.  Charles  asked 
them  in  to  lunch.  They  accepted  willingly.  He 
introduced  them  to  Amelia  with  sundry  raisings  of 
his  eyebrows  and  contortions  of  his  mouth.  '  Pro- 
fessor and  Mrs.  Forbes -Gaskell,'  he  said,  half- dis- 
locating his  jaw  with  his  violent  efforts.  '  They're 
stopping  at  the  inn,  dear.  I've  been  showing  them 
over  the  place,  and  they're  good  enough  to  say 
they'll  drop  in  and  take  a  share  in  our  cold  roast 
mutton  ;  *  which  was  a  frequent  form  of  Charles's 
pleasantry. 

Amelia  sent  them  upstairs  to  wash  their  hands 
— which,  in  the  Professor's  case,  was  certainly  desir- 
able, for  his  fingers  were  grimed  with  earth  and  dust 
from  the  rocks  he  had  been  investigating.  As  soon 
as  we  were  left  alone  Charles  drew  me  into  the  library. 

*  Seymour,'  he  said,  *  more  than  ever  there  is  a 
need  for  us  strictly  to  avoid  preconceptions.  We 
must  not  make  up  our  minds  that  this  man  is 
Colonel  Clay — nor,  again,  that  he  isn't.  We  must 
remember  that  we  have  been  mistaken  in  both  ways 
in  the  past,  and  must  avoid  our  old  errors.  I  shall 
hold  myself  in  readiness  for  either  event — and  a 
policeman  in  readiness  to  arrest  them,  if  necessary  ! ' 

'  A  capital  plan,'  I  murmured.  *  Still,  if  I  may 
venture  a  suggestion,  in  what  way  arc  these  two 
people  endeavouring  to  entrap  us  ?  They  have  no 
scheme  on  hand — no  sc'  loss,  no  amalgamation.* 


:o2 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


'Seymour,'  my  brother-in-law  answered  in  his 
board-room  style, '  you  are  a  great  ileal  too  previous, 
as  Medhurst  used  to  say — I  mean.  Colonel  Clay  in 
his  character  as  Medhurst.  In  the  first  place,  these 
are  early  days  ;  our  friends  have  not  yet  developed 
their  intentions.  We  may  find  before  long  they 
have  a  property  to  sell,  or  a  company  to  promote, 
or  a  concession  to  exploit  in  South  Africa  or  else- 
where. Then  again,  in  the  second  place,  we  don't 
always  spot  the  exact  nature  of  their  plan  until  it 
has  burst  in  our  hands,  so  to  speak,  and  revealed  its 
true  character.  What  could  have  seemed  more 
transparent  than  Medhurst,  the  detective,  till  he  ran 
away  with  our  notes  in  the  very  moment  of  triumph  ? 
What  more  innocent  than  White  Heather  and  the 
little  curate,  till  they  landed  us  with  a  couple  of 
Amelia's  own  gems  as  a  splendid  bargain  ?  I  will 
not  take  it  for  granted  any  man  is  not  Colonel  Clay, 
merely  because  I  don't  happen  to  spot  the  particula*- 
scheme  he  is  trying  to  work  against  me.  The  rogue 
has  so  many  schemes,  and  some  of  them  so  well 
concealed,  that  up  to  the  moment  of  the  actual 
explosion  you  fail  to  detect  the  presence  of  moral 
dynamite.  Therefore,  I  shall  proceed  as  ff  there 
were  dynamite  everywhere.  But  in  the  third  place 
— and  this  is  very  important — you  mark  my  words, 
I  believe  I  detect  already  the  lines  he  will  work 
upon.  He's  a  geologist,  he  says,  with  a  taste  for 
minerals.  Very  good.  You  see  if  he  doesn't  try  to 
persuade  me  before  long  he  has  found  a  coal  mine, 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  SELDON  GOLD-MINE      203 


in    his 
•cvious, 
Clay  in 
c,  these 
veloped 
ig   they 
romotc, 
or  else- 
re  don't 
until  it 
:alcd  its 
d    more 
he  ran 
riumph? 
and  the 
ouple  of 
•     I  will 
icl  Clay, 
articula** 
he  rogue 
so  well 

actual  . 

of  moral 

ff  there 

ird  place 

ly  words, 

■ill  work 

taste  for 

I't  try  to 

>al  mine, 


whose  locality  he  will  disclose  for  a  trifling  considera- 
tion ;  or  else  he  will  salt  the  Long  Mountain  with 
emeralds,  and  claim  a  big  share  for  helping  to  discover 
them  ;  or  else  he  will  try  something  in  the  minera- 
logical  line  to  do  me  somehow.  I  see  it  in  the  very 
transparency  of  the  fellow's  face  ;  and  I'm  determined 
this  time  neither  to  pay  him  one  farthing  on  any 
pretext,  nor  to  let  him  escape  me  I ' 

We  went  in  to  lunch.  The  Professor  and  Mrs. 
Forbes-Gaskell,  all  smile.s,  accompanied  us.  I  don't 
know  whether  it  was  Charles's  warning  to  take 
nothing  for  granted  that  made  me  do  so — but  I 
kept  a  close  eye  upon  the  suspected  man  all  the 
time  we  were  at  table.  It  struck  me  there  was 
something  very  odd  about  his  hair.  It  didn't  seem 
quite  the  same  colour  all  over.  The  locks  that  hung 
down  behind,  over  the  collar  of  his  coat,  were  a  trifle 
lighter  and  a  trifle  grayer  than  the  black  mass  that 
covered  the  greater  part  of  his  head.  I  examined 
it  carefully.  The  more  I  did  so,  the  more  the 
conviction  grew  upon  me :  he  was  wearing  a  wig. 
There  was  no  denying  it  I 

A  trifle  less  artistic,  perhaps,  than  most  of  Colonel 
Clay's  get-ups  ;  but  then,  I  reflected  (on  Charles's 
principle  of  taking  nothing  for  granted),  we  had 
never  before  suspected  Colonel  Clay  himself,  except 
in  the  one  case  of  the  Honourable  David,  whose  red 
hair  and  whiskers  even  Madame  Picardet  had  ad- 
mitted to  be  absurdly  false  by  her  action  of  pointing 
at  them  and  tittering  irrepressibly.      It  was  possible 


204 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


that  in  every  case,  if  we  had  scrutinised  our  man 
closely,  we  should  have  found  that  the  disguise 
betrayed  itself  at  once  (as  Medhurst  had  suggested) 
to  an  acute  observer. 

The  detective,  in  fact,  had  told  us  too  much.  I 
remembered  what  he  said  to  us  about  knocking  off 
David  Granton's  red  wig  the  moment  we  doubted 
him  ;  and  I  positively  tried  to  help  myself  awkwardly 
to  potato-chips,  when  the  footman  offered  them,  so 
as  to  hit  the  supposed  wig  with  an  apparently  careless 
brush  of  my  elbow.  But  it  was  of  no  avail.  The 
fellow  seemed  to  anticipate  or  suspect  my  intention, 
and  dodged  aside  carefully,  like  one  well  accustomed 
to  saving  his  disguise  from  all  chance  of  such  real 
or  seeming  accidents. 

I  was  so  full  of  my  discovery  that  immediately 
after  lunch  I  induced  Isabel  to  take  our  new  friends 
round  the  home  garden  and  show  them  Charles's 
famous  prize  dahlias,  while  I  proceeded  myself  to 
narrate  to  Charles  qnd  Amelia  my  observations  and 
my  frustrated  experiment. 

'It  is  a  wig,'  Amelia  assented.  */  spotted  it  at 
once.  A  very  good  wig,  too,  and  most  artistically 
planted.  Men  don't  notice  these  things,  though 
women  do.  It  is  creditable  to  you,  Seymour,  to 
have  succeeded  in  detecting  it' 

Charles  was  less  complimentary.  '  You  fool,'  he 
answered,  with  that  unpleasant  frankness  which  is 
much  too  common  with  him.  *  Supposing  it  w,  why 
on  earth  should  you  try  to  knock  it  off  and  disclose 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  SELDON  GOLD-MINE      205 


ir  man 

lisguise 
gested) 


ich.  I 
cing  off 
loubted 
cwardly 
hem,  so 
careless 
1.  The 
itention, 
jstomed 
ich  real 

ediately 
'  friends 
;;]harles's 
yself  to 
ons  and 

ed  it  at 

tistically 

though 

mour,  to 

fooi;  he 
which  is 

it  is,  why 
1  disclose 


>  'S 


him?  What  good  would  it  have  done?  If  it  z's  a 
wig,  and  we  spot  it,  that's  all  that  we  need.  We 
are  put  on  our  guard  ;  we  know  with  whom  we  have 
now  to  deal.  But  you  can't  take  a  man  up  on  a 
charge  of  wig- wearing.  The  law  doesn't  interfere 
with  it.  Most  respectable  men  may  sometimes  wear 
wigs.  Why,  I  knew  a  promoter  who  did,  and  also 
the  director  of  fourteen  companies  1  What  we  have 
to  do  next  is,  wait  till  he  tries  to  cheat  us,  and  then 
— pounce  down  upon  him.  Sooner  or  later,  you 
may  be  sure,  his  plans  will  reveal  themselves.' 

So  we  concocted  an  excellent  scheme  to  keep 
them  under  constant  observation,  lest  they  should 
slip  away  again,  as  they  did  from  the  island.  First 
of  all,  Amelia  was  to  ask  them  to  come  and  stop  at 
the  castle,  on  the  ground  that  the  rooms  at  the  inn 
were  uncomfortably  small.  We  felt  sure,  however, 
that,  as  on  a  previous  occasion,  they  would  refuse 
the  invitation,  in  order  to  be  able  to.  slink  off  un- 
perceived,  in  case  they  should  find  themselves  ap- 
parently suspected.  Should  they  decline,  it  was 
arranged  that  Cesarine  should  take  a  room  at  the 
Cromarty  Arms  as  long  as  they  stopped  there,  and 
report  upon  their  movements  ;  while,  during  the  day, 
we  would  have  the  house  watched  by  the  head  gillie's 
son,  a  most  intelligent  young  man,  who  could  be 
trusted,  with  true  Scotch  canniness,  to  say  nothing 
to  anybody. 

To  our  immense  surprise,  Mrs.  Forbes -Gaskell 
accepted    the    invitation    with   the    utmost   alacrity. 


206 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


She  was  profuse  in  her  thanks,  indeed ;  for  she  told 
us  the  Arms  was  an  ill-kept  house,  and  the  cookery 
by  no  means  agreed  with  her  husband's  liver.  It 
was  sweet  of  us  to  invite  them  ;  such  kindness  to 
perfect  strangers  was  quite  unexpected.  She  should 
always  say  that  nowhere  on  earth  had  she  met  with 
so  cordial  or  friendly  a  reception  as  at  Seldon  Castle. 
But — she  accepted,  unreservedly. 

*  It  can't  be  Colonel  Clay,'  I  remarked  to  Charles. 
'  He  would  never  have  come  here.  Even  as  David 
Granton,  with  far  more  reason  for  coming,  he  wouldn't 
put  himself  in  our  power :  he  preferred  the  security 
and  freedom  of  the  Cromarty  Arms.' 

'Sey,'  my  brother-in-law  said  sententiously, 
'you're  incorrigible.  You  will  persist  in  being  the 
slave  of  prepossessions.  He  may  have  some  good 
reason  of  his  own  for  accepting.  Wait  till  he  shows 
his  hand — and  then,  we  shall  understand  everything.' 

So  for  the  next  three  weeks  the  Forbes-Gaskells 
formed  part  of  the  house-party  at  Seldon.  I  must 
say,  Charles  paid  them  most  assiduous  attention. 
He  positively  neglected  his  other  guests  in  order  to 
keep  close  to  the  two  new-comers.  Mrs.  Forbes- 
Gaskell  noticed  the  fact,  and  commented  on  it. 
'  You  are  really  too  good  to  us.  Sir  Charles,'  she  said. 

*  I'm  afraid  you  allow  us  quite  to  monopolise  you  ! ' 

But  Charles,  gallant  as  ever,  replied  with  a  smile, 

*  We  have  you  with  us  for  so  short  a  time,  you 
know ! '  Which  made  Mrs.  Forbes-Gaskell  blush 
again  that  delicious  blush  of  hers. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  SELDON  GOLD-MINE      207 


During  all  this  time  the  Professor  went  on  calmly 
and  persistently  mineralogising.  *  Won  wrful  char- 
acter ! '  Charles  said  to  me.  *  He  works  out  his 
parts  so  well !  Could  anything  exceed  the  picture 
he  gives  one  of  scientific  ardour  ? '  And,  indeed,  he 
was  at  it,  morning,  noon,  and  night.  '  Sooner  or 
later,'  Charles  observed,  *  something  practical  must 
come  of  it' 

Twice,  meanwhile,  little  episodes  occurred  which 
are  well  worth  notice.  One  day  I  was  out  with  the 
Professor  on  the  Long  Mountain,  watching  him 
hammer  at  the  rocks,  and  a  little  bored  by  his  per- 
formance, when,  to  pass  the  time,  I  asked  him  what 
a  particular  small  water-worn  stone  was.  He  looked 
at  it  and  smiled  'If  there  were  a  little  more  mica 
in  it,'  he  said,  '  it  would  be  the  characteristic  gneiss 
of  ice-borne  boulders,  hereabouts.  But  there  isn't 
quite  enough.'     And  he  gazed  at  it  curiously. 

'  Indeed,*  I  answered,  '  it  doesn't  come  up  to 
sample,  doesn't  it  ? ' 

He  gave  me  a  meaning  look.  '  Ten  per  cent,'  he 
murmured  in  a  slow,  strange  voice  ;  '  ten  per  cent  is 
more  usual.' 

I  trembled  violently.     Was  he  bent,  then,  upon 

ruining  me ?     'If  you  betray  me '  I  cried,  and 

broke  off. 

'  I  beg  your  pardon,'  he  said.  He  was  all  pure 
innocence. 

I  reflected  on  what  Charles  had  said  about  taking 
nothing  for  granted,  and  held  my  tongue  prudently. 


'i)simikaujtai, 


ALl\  inw.ssa 


li 


n 


208 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


The  other  incident  was  this.  Charles  picked  a 
sprig  of  white  heather  on  the  hill  one  afternoon,  after 
a  picnic  lunch,  I  regret  to  say,  when  he  had  taken 
perhaps  a  glass  more  champagne  than  was  strictly 
good  for  him.  He  was  not  exactly  the  worse  for  it, 
but  he  was  excited,  good-humoured,  reckless,  and 
lively.     He  brought  the  sprig  to  Mrs.  Forbes-Gaskell, 


TEN   PER    CENT,    HE   MURMURED,    IS   MORE   USUAL. 


1      t 


and  handed  it  to  her,  ogling  a  little.  '  Sweets  to  the 
sweet,'  he  murmured,  and  looked  at  her  meaningly. 
'  White  heather  to  White  Heather.'  Then  he  saw 
what  he  had  done  and  checked  himself  instantly. 

Mrs.  Forbes-Gaskell  coloured  up  in  the  usual 
manner.     '  I — I  don't  quite  understand,'  she  faltered. 

Charles  scrambled  out  of  it  somehow.  *  White 
heather   for    luck,'  he  said,  '  and — the  man   who  is 


I 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  SELDON  GOLD-MINE      209 


I 


privileged  to  give  a  piece  of  it  to  you  is  surely 
ludcy.' 

She  smiled,  none  too  well  pleased.  I  somehow 
felt  she  suspected  us  of  suspecting  her. 

However,  as  it  turned  out,  nothing  came,  after  all, 
of  the  untoward  incident. 

Next  day  Charles  burst  upon  me,  triumphant. 
'  Well,  he  has  shown  his  hand  I '  he  cried.  *  I  knew 
he  would.  He  has  come  to  me  to-day  with — what 
do  you  think  ? — a  fragment  of  gold,  in  quartz,  from 
the  Long  Mountain.* 

*  No  I  *  I  exclaimed. 

*  Yes,*  Charles  answered.  *  He  says  there*3  a  vein 
there  with  distinct  specks  of  gold  in  it,  which  might 
be  worth  mining.  When  a  man  begins  that  way 
you  know  what  he's  driving  at !  And  what's  more, 
he's  got  up  the  subject  beforehand  ;  for  he  began 
saying  to  me  there  had  long  been  gold  in  Suther- 
landshire — why  not  therefore  in  Ross-shire?  And 
then  he  went  at  full  into  the  comparative  geology  of 
the  two  regions.* 

*  This  is  serious/  I  said.     *  What  will  you  do  ? ' 

*  Wait  and  watch,'  Charles  answered  ;  *  and  the 
moment  he  develops  a  proposal  for  shares  in  the 
syndicate  to  work  the  mine,  or  a  sum  of  money  down 
as  the  price  of  his  discovery — get  in  the  police,  and 
arrest  him.' 

For  the  next  few  days  the  Professor  was  more 
active  and  ardent  than  ever.  He  went  peering  about 
the  rocks  on  every  side  with  his  hammer.      He  kept 


"^^VXMUjMM--, 


210 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


on  bringing  in  little  pieces  of  stone,  with  gold  specks 
stuck  in  them,  and  talking  learnedly  of  the  '  probable 
cost  of  crushing  and  milling.'  Charles  had  heard  all 
that  before  ;  in  point  of  fact,  he  had  assisted  at  the 
drafting  of  some  dozens  of  prospectuses.  So  he  took 
no  notice,  and  waited  for  the  man  with  the  wig  to 
develop  his  proposals.  He  knew  they  would  come 
soon  ;  and  he  watched  and  waited.  But,  of  course, 
to  draw  him  on  he  pretended  to  be  interested. 

While  we  were  all  in  this  attitude  of  mind,  at- 
tending on  Providence  and  Colonel  Clay,  we  happened 
to  walk  down  by  the  shore  one  day,  in  the  opposite 
direction  from  the  Seamew's  island.  Suddenly  we 
came  upon  the  Professor  linked  arm-in-arm  with — 
Sir  Adolphus  Cordery  !  They  were  wrapped  in  deep 
talk,  and  appeared  to  be  most  amicable. 

Now,  naturally,  relations  had  been  a  trifle  strained 
between  Sir  Adolphus  and  the  house  of  Vandrift 
since  the  incident  of  the  Slump  ;  but  under  the  pre- 
sent circumstances,  and  with  such  a  matter  at  stake 
as  the  capture  of  Colonel  Clay,  it  was  necessary  to 
overlook  all  such  minor  differences.  So  Charles 
managed  to  disengage  the  Professor  from  his  friend, 
sent  Amelia  on  with  Forbes-Gaskell  towards  the 
castle,  and  stopped  behind,  himself,  with  Sir  Adol- 
phus and  me,  to  clear  up  the  question. 

'  Do  you  know  this  man,  Cordery  ? '  he  asked, 
with  some  little  suspicion. 

*  Know  him  ?  Why,  of  course  I  do,'  Sir  Adolphus 
answered.     '  He's  Marmaduke  Forbes-Gaskell,  of  the 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  SELDON  GOLD-MINE       211 


Yorkshire  College,  a  very  distinguished  man  of 
science.  First-rate  mineralog'st — perhaps  the  best 
{but  one)  in  England.'  Modesty  forbade  him  to  name 
the  exception. 

'  But  are  you  sure  it's  he  ?  *  Charles  inquired, 
with  growing  doubt.  *  Have  you  known  him  before  ? 
This  isn't  a  second  case  of  Schleiermachering  me, 
is  it?' 

'  Sure  it's  he  ? '  Sir  Adolphus  echoed.  '  Am  I 
sure  of  myself?  Why,  I've  known  Marmy  Gaskell 
ever  since  we  were  at  Trinity  together.  Knew  him 
before  he  married  Miss  Forbes  of  Glenluce,  my  wife's 
second  cousin,  and  hyphened  his  name  with  hers,  to 
keep  the  property  in  the  family.  Know  them  both 
most  intimately.  Came  down  here  to  the  inn  because 
I  heard  that  Marmy  was  on  the  prowl  among  these 
hills,  and  I  thought  he  had  probably  something  good 
to  prowl  after — in  the  way  of  fossils.' 

'  But  the  man  wears  a  wig  I '  Charles  expostu- 
lated. 

'  Of  course,*  Cordery  answered.  '  He's  as  bald 
as  a  bat — in  front  at  least — and  he  wears  a  wig  to 
cover  his  baldness.' 

'  It's  disgraceful,'  Charles  exclaimed  ;  *  disgraceful 
— taking  us  in  like  that'  And  he  grew  red  as  a 
turkey-cock. 

Sir  Adolphus  has  no  delicacy.  He  burst  out 
laughing. 

*  Oh,  I  see,*  he  cried  out,  simply  bursting  with 
amusement.        'You     thought    Forbes- Gaskell    was 


.v**»M»H««*» 


f 


212 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


Colonel    Clay   in   disguise !      Oh,  my  stars,  what   a 
lovely  one  ! ' 

'  You,  at  least,  have  no  right  to  laugh/  Charles 
responded,  drawing  himself  up  and  growing  still 
redder.  '  You  led  me  once  into  a  similar  scrape, 
and  then  backed  out  of  it  in  a  way  unbecoming  a 


OH,    MY   STARS,    WHAT   A    LOVELY   ONE  J 

gentleman.  Besides,'  he  went  on,  getting  angrier  at 
each  word,  '  this  fellow,  whoever  he  is,  has  been 
trying  to  cheat  me  on  his  own  account.  Colonel 
Clay  or  no  Colonel  Clay,  he's  been  salting  my  rocks 
with,  gold-bearing  quartz,  and  trying  to  lead  me  on 
into  an  absurd  speculation  ! ' 

Sir  Adolphus  exploded.     '  Oh,  this  is  too  good,' 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  SELDON  GOLD-MINE      213 


at    a 


IH"^ 


ir  at 
been 
onel 
ocks 
2  on 


Dod,' 


he  cried.  '  I  must  go  and  tell  Marmy  ! '  And  he 
rushed  ofif  to  where  Forbes-Gaskell  was  seated  on  a 
corner  of  rock  with  Amelia. 

As  for  Charles  and  mj'sclf,  we  returned  to  the 
house.  Half  an  hour  later  Forbes-Gaskell  came  back, 
too,  in  a  towering  temper. 

'What  is  the  meaning  of  this,  sir?'  he  shouted 
out,  as  soon  as  he  caught  sight  of  Charles.  '  I'm 
told  you've  invited  my  wife  and  myself  here  to  your 
house  in  order  to  spy  upon  us,  under  the  impression 
that  I  was  Clay,  the  notorious  swindler ! ' 

'  I  thought  you  were,'  Charles  answered,  equally 
angry.  '  Perhaps  you  may  be  still !  Anyhow,  you're 
a  rogue,  and  you  tried  to  bamboozle  me ! ' 

Forbes-Gaskell,  white  with  rage,  turned  to  his 
trembling  wife.  '  Gertrude,'  he  said,  '  pack  up  your 
box  and  come  away  from  these  people  instantly. 
Their  pretended  hospitality  has  been  a  studied  insult. 
They've  put  you  and  me  in  a  most  ridiculous 
position.  We  were  told  before  we  came  here — and 
no  doubt  with  truth — that  Sir  Charles  Vandrift  was 
the  most  close-fisted  and  tyrannical  old  curmudgeon 
in  Scotland.  We've  been  writing  to  all  our  friends 
to  say  ecstatically  that  he  was,  on  the  contrary,  a 
most  hospitable,  generous,  and  large-hearted  gentle- 
man. And  now  we  find  out  he's  a  disgusting  cad, 
who  asks  strangers  to  his  house  from  the  meanest 
motives,  and  then  insults  his  guests  with  gratuitous 
vituperation.  It  is  well  such  people  should  hear  the 
plain  truth  now  and  again  in    their   lives ;    and   it 


214 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


i 


therefore  gives  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to  tell  Sir 
Charles  Vanrlrift  that  he's  a  vulgar  bounder  of  the 
first  water.  Go  and  pack  your  box,  Gertrude  I  I'll 
run  down  to  the  Cromarty  Arms,  and  order  a  cab 
to  carry  us  away  at  once  from  this  inhospitable 
sham  castle.' 

'  You  wear  a  wig,  sir ;  you  wear  a  wig,'  Charles 
exclaimed,  h'alf-choking  with  passion.  For,  indeed, 
as  Forbes-Gaskell  spoke,  and  tossed  his  head  angrily, 
the  nature  of  his  hair -covering  grew  painfully 
apparent.      It  was  quite  one-sided. 

'  I  do,  sir,  that  I  may  be  able  to  shake  it  in  the 
face  of  a  cad  ! '  the  Professor  responded,  tearing  it 
off  to  readjust  it ;  and,  suiting  the  action  to  the 
word,  he  brandished  it  thrice  in  Charles's  eyes  ;  after 
which  he  darted  from  the  room,  spedthless  with 
indignation. 

As  soon  as  they  were  gone,  and  Charles  had 
recovered  breath  sufficiently  to  listen  to  rational 
conversation,  I  ventured  to  observe,  *  This  comes  of 
being  too  sure  I  We  made  one  mistake.  We  took 
it  for  granted  that  because  a  man  wears  a  wig,  he 
must  be  an  impostor — which  does  not  necessarily 
follow.  We  forgot  that  not  Colonel  Clays  alone 
have  false  coverings  to  their  heads,  and  that  wigs 
may  sometimes  be  worn  from  motives  of  pure 
personal  vanity.  In  fact,  we  were  again  the  slaves 
of  preconceptions.' 

I  looked  at  him  pointedly.  Charles  rose  before 
he  replied.      '  Seymour  Wentworth,'  he  said  at  last. 


II 


THE  F.PISOOE  OF  TIIK  SELDON  GOLD-MINE      215 


had 

ional 

es  of 

took 

g,  he 

;anly 

ilone 

wigs 

pure 

aves 


gazing  clown  upon  inc  with  lofty  scorn,  'your 
moralising  is  ill-timed.  It  appears  to  mc  you 
entirely  misunderstand  the  position  anti  duties  of  a 
private  secretary  ! ' 


IIK    UKANDISIIKIl    IT    TIIRICF.    IN    rilARLF.S  S    EYF.S. 

The  oddest  part  of  it  all,  however,  was  this — that 
Charles,  being  convinced  l-'orbes-Gaskell,  though  he 
wasn't  Colonel  Clay,  had  been  fraudulently  salting 
the    rocks  with    gold,  with    intent    to   deceive,  took 


^ai 


ai6 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLION  MRE 


no  further  notice  of  the  alleged  discoveries.  The 
consequence  was  that  Forbes  -  Gaskell  and  Sir 
Adolphus  went  elsewhere  with  the  secret ;  and  it 
was  not  till  after  Charles  had  sold  the  Seldon  Castle 
estate  (which  he  did  shortly  afterward,  the  place 
having  somehow  grown  strangely  distasteful  to  him) 
that  the  present  '  Seldon  Eldorados,  Limited/  were 
put  upon  the  market  by  Lord  Craig-ICllachie,  who 
purchased  the  place  from  him.  Forbes-Gaskell,  as 
it  happened,  had  reported  to  Craig-Ellachie  that  he 
had  found  a  lode  of  high-grade  ore  on  an  estate 
unnamed,  which  he  would  particularise  on  promise 
of  certain  contingent  claims  to  founder's  shares ; 
and  the  old  lord  jumped  at  it.  Charles  sold  at 
grouse-moor  prices  ;  and  the  consequence  is  that  the 
capital  of  the  Eldorados  is  yielding  at  present  very 
fair  returns,  even  after  allowing  for  expenses  of 
promotion — while  Charles  has  been  done  out  of  a 
good  thing  in  gold-mines  I 

But,  remembering  '  the  position  and  duties  of  a 
private  secretary  ^  refrained  from  pointing  out  to 
him  at  the  time  that  this  loss  was  due  to  a  fixed 
idea — though  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  depended  upon 
Charles's  strange  preconception  that  the  man  with 
the  wig,  whoever  he  might  be,  was  trying  to  diddle 
him. 


IX 


THE    EPISODE   OF   THE   JAPANNED   DISPATCH-BOX 


es 


of  a 

out  to 

fixed 

upon 

in  with 

diddle 


*  Sey,'  my  brother-in-law  said  next  spring,  '  I'm  sick 
and  tired  of  London  1  Let's  shoulder  our  wallets  at 
once,  and  I  will  to  some  distant  land,  where  no  man 
doth  me  know.' 

'  Mars  or  Mercury  ? '  I  inquired  ;  *  for,  in  our  own 
particular  planet,  I'm  afraid  you'll  find  it  just  a  trifle 
difficult  for  Sir  Charles  Vandrift  to  hide  his  light 
under  a  bushel.' 

'  Oh,  I'll  manage  it,'  Charles  answered.  *  What's 
the  good  of  being  a  millionaire,  I  should  like  to 
know,  if  you're  always  obliged  to  "  behave  as  sich  "  ? 
I  shall  travel  incog.  I'm  dog-tired  of  being  dogged 
by  these  endless  impostors.' 

And,  indeed,  we  had  passed  through  a  most 
painful  winter.  Colonel  Clay  had  stopped  away  for 
some  months,  it  is  true,  and  for  my  own  part,  I  will 
confess,  since  it  wasn't  my  place  to  pay  the  piper,  I 
rather  missed  the  wonted  exciten.cnt  than  otherwise. 
But  Charles  had  grown  horribly  and  morbidly 
suspicious.  He  carried  out  his  principle  of  'dis- 
trusting everybody  and  disbelieving  everything,'  till 


2l8 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


life  was  a  burden  to  him.  He  spotted  impossible 
Colonel  Clays  under  a  thousand  disguises  ;  he  was 
quite  convinced  he  had  frightened  his  enemy  away 
at  least  a  dozen  times  over,  beneath  the  varying 
garb  of  a  fat  club  waiter,  a  tall  policeman,  a  washer- 
woman's boy,  a  solicitor's  clerk,  the  Bank  of  England 
beadle,  and  the  collector  of  water-rates.  He  saw 
him  as  constantly,  and  in  as  changeful  forms,  as 
mediaeval  saints  used  to  see  the  devil.-  Amelia  and 
I  really  began  to  fear  for  the  stability  of  that 
splendid  intellect ;  we  foresaw  that  unless  the  Colonel 
Clay  nuisance  could  be  abated  somehow,  Charles 
might  sink  by  degrees  to  the  mental  level  of  a 
common  or  ordinary  Stock-Exchange  plunger. 

So,  when  my  brother-in-law  announced  his  in- 
tention of  going  away  incog,  to  parts  unknown,  on 
the  succeeding  Saturday,  Amelia  and  I  felt  a  flush 
of  relief  from  long -continued  tension.  Especially 
Amelia — who  was  not  going  with  him. 

*  For  rest  and  quiet,'  he  said  to  us  at  breakfast, 
laying  down  the  Morning  Post,  *  give  me  the  deck  of 
an  Atlantic  liner !  No  letters ;  no  telegrams.  No 
stocks ;  no  shares.  No  Times ;  no  Saturday.  I'm 
sick  of  these  papers  1 ' 

*  The  World  is  too  much  with  us,'  I  assented 
cheerfully.  I  regret  to  say,  nobody  appreciated  the 
point  of  my  quotation. 

Charles  took  infinite  pains,  I  must  admit,  to 
ensure  perfect  secrecy.  He  made  me  write  and 
secure  the  best  state-rooms — main  deck,  amidships — 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  JAPANNED  DISPATCH-BOX      219 


)ossible 
he  was 
y  away 
varying 
washer- 
Lngland 
^e   saw 
irms,  as 
elia  and 
of   that 
Colonel 
Charles 
el   of   a 
^r. 

his  in- 
lown,  on 

a  flush 
specially 

reakfast, 
deck  of 
ms.    No 
ay.     I'm 

assented 
ated  the 

dmit,  to 
rite  and 
dships — 


under  my  own  name,  without  mentioning  his,  in  the 
Eirun'a,  for  New  York,  on  her  very  next  voyage 
He  spoke  of  his  destination  to  nobody  but  Amelia  ; 
and  Amelia  warned  Cesarine,  under  pains  and 
penalties,  on  no  account  to  betray  it  to  the  other 
servants.  Further  to  secure  his  incog.^  Charles 
assumed  the  style  and  title  of  Mr.  Peter  Porter,  and 
booked  as  such  in  the  Etruria  at  Liverpool. 

The  day  before  starting,  however,  he  went  down 
with  me  to  the  City  for  an  interview  with  his  brokers 
in  Adam's  Court,  Old  Broad  Street.  Finglemore, 
the  senior  partner,  hastened,  of  course,  to  receive  us. 
As  we  entered  his  private  room  a  good-looking 
young  man  rose  and  lounged  out.  '  Halloa,  Fingle- 
more,' Charles  said,  'that's  that  scamp  of  a  brother 
of  yours  !  I  thought  you  had  shipped  him  off  years 
and  years  ago  to  China  ?  * 

'  So  I  did,  Sir  Charles,'  Finglemore  answered, 
rubbing  his  hands  somewhat  nervously.  '  But  he 
never  went  there.  Being  an  idle  young  dog,  with  a 
taste  for  amusement,  he  got  for  the  time  no  further 
than  Paris.  Since  then,  he's  hung  about  a  bit,  here, 
there,  and  everywhere,  and  done  no  particular  good 
for  himself  or  his  family.  But  about  three  or  four 
years  ago  he  somehow  "  struck  ile " :  he  went  to 
South  Africa,  poaching  on  your  preserves ;  and  now 
he's  back  again — rich,  married,  and  respectable. 
His  wife,  a  nice  little  woman,  has  reformed  him. 
Well,  what  can  I  do  for  you  this  morning  ? ' 

Charles  has  large  interests  in  America,  in  Santa 


■*  ffl 


220 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


F^  and  Topekas,  and  other  big  concerns  ;  and  he 
insisted  on  taking  out  several  documents  and  vouchers 
connected  in  various  ways  with  his  widespread 
ventures  there.      lie  meant  to  go,  he  said,  for  com- 


FINGLEMORE  S    BROTHER. 


plete  rest  and  change,  on  a  general  tour  of  private 
inquiry — New  York,  Chicago,  Colorado,  the  mining 
districts.  It  was  a  millionaire's  holiday.  So  he 
took  all  these  valuables  in  a  black  japanned  dispatch- 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  JAPANNED  DISPATCH  BOX      221 


nd  he 

nchers 

spread 

corn- 


private 

mining 

So   he 

lispatch- 


box,  which  he  guarded  like  a  child  with  absurd 
precautions.  He  never  allowed  that  box  out  of 
his  sight  one  moment ;  and  he  gave  me  no  peace  as 
to  its  safety  and  mtegrity.  It  was  a  perfect  fetish. 
'  We  must  be  cautious,'  he  said,  *  Sey,  cautious ! 
Especially  in  travelling.  Recollect  how  that  little 
curate  spirited  the  diamonds  out  of  Amelia's  jewel- 
case  I  I  shall  not  let  this  box  out  of  my  sight.  I 
shall  stick  to  it  myself,  if  we  go  to  the  bottom.' 

We  did  not  go  to  the  bottom.  It  is  the  proud 
boast  of  the  Cunard  Company  that  it  has  *  never  lost 
a  passenger's  life ' ;  and  the  captain  would  not  consent 
to  send  the  Etruria  to  Davy  Jones's  locker,  merely 
in  order  to  give  Charles  a  chance  of  sticking  to  his 
dispatch-box  under  trying  circumstances.  On  the 
contrary,  we  had  a  delightful  and  uneventful  passage  ; 
and  we  found  our  fellow-passengers  most  agreeable 
people.  Charles,  as  Mr.  Peter  Porter,  being  freed 
for  the  moment  from  his  terror  of  Colonel  Clay, 
would  have  felt  really  happy,  I  believe — had  it  not 
been  for  the  dispatch-box.  He  made  friends  from 
the  first  hour  (quite  after  the  fearless  old  fashion  of 
the  days  before  Colonel  Clay  had  begun  to  embitter 
life  for  him)  with  a  nice  American  doctor  and  his 
charming  wife,  on  their  way  b?ck  to  Kentucky. 
Dr.  Elihu  Quackenboss — that  was  his  characteristic- 
ally American  name — had  been  studying  medicine 
for  a  year  in  Vienna,  and  was  now  returning  to  his 
native  State  with  a  brain  close  crammed  with  all 
the  latest  bacteriological  and  antiseptic  discoveries. 


I 


232 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


His  wife,  a  pretty  and  piquant  little  American,  with 
a  tip-tilted  nose  and  the  quaint  sharpness  of  her 
countrywomen,  amused  Charles  not  a  little.  The 
funny  way  in  which  she  would  make  room  for  him 
by  her  side  on  the  bench  on  deck,  and  say,  with  a 
sweet  smile,  '  You  sit  right  here,  Mr.  Porter  ;  the 
sun's  just  elegant,'  delighted  and  flattered  him.  He 
was  proud  to  find  out  that  female  attention  was  not 
always  due  to  his  wealth  and  title ;  and  that  plain 
Mr.  Porter  could  command  on  his  merits  the  same 
amount  of  blandishments  as  Sir  Charles  Vandrift, 
the  famous  millionaire,  on  his  South  African  celebrity. 

During  the  whoie  of  that  voyage,  it  was  Mrs. 
Quackenboss  here,  and  Mrs.  Quackenboss  there,  and 
Mrs.  Quackenboss  the  other  place,  till,  for  Amelia's 
sake,  I  was  glad  she  was  not  on  board  to  witness  it. 
Long  before  we  sighted  Sandy  Hook,  I  will  admit, 
I  was  fairly  sick  of  Charles's  two-stringed  harp — 
Mrs.  Quackenboss  and  the  dispatch-box. 

Mrs.  Quackenboss,  it  turned  out,  was  an  amateur 
artist,  and  she  painted  Sir  Charles,  on  calm  days  on 
deck,  in  all  possible  attitudes.  She  seemed  to  find 
him  a  most  attractive  model. 

The  doctor,  too,  was  a  precious  clever  fellow. 
He  knew  something  of  chemistry — and  of  most 
other  subjects,  including,  as  I  gathered,  the  human 
character.  For  he  talked  to  Charles  about  various 
ideas  of  his,  with  which  he  wished  to  '  liven  up  folks 
in  Kentucky  a  bit,'  on  his  return,  till  Charles  con- 
ceived the  highest  possible  rcgar '   'or  his  intelligence 


matcur 
ays  on 
to  find 

fellow. 

most 
human 
various 

folks 
:s  con- 
ligence 


i> 


THE  Ll'ISODE  OF  THE  JAPANNED  DISPATCH-BOX      223 

and  enterprise.  '  That's  a  go-ahead  fellow,  Sey  ! '  he 
remarked  to  me  one  day.  '  Has  the  right  sort  of 
grit  in  him  !  Those  Americans  are  the  men.  Wish 
I  had  a  round  hundred  of  them  on  my  works  in 
South  Africa  1 ' 

That  idea  seemed  to  grow  upon  him.  He  was 
immensely  taken  with  it.  He  had  lately  dismissed 
one  of  his  chief  superintendents  at  the  Cloetedorp 
mine,  and  he  seriously  debated  whether  or  not  he 
should  offer  the  post  to  the  smart  Kentuckian.  For 
my  own  part,  I  am  inclined  to  connect  this  fact  with 
his  expressed  determination  to  visit  his  South  African 
undertakings  for  three  months  yearly  in  future  ;  and 
I  am  driven  to  suspect  he  felt  life  at  Cloetedorp 
would  be  rendered  much  more  tolerable  by  the 
agreeable  society  of  a  quaint  and  amusing  American 
lady. 

'  If  you  offer  it  to  him,'  I  said,  *  remember,  you 
must  disclose  your  personality.* 

'  Not  at  all,'  Charles  answered.  *  I  can  keep  it 
dark  for  the  present,  till  all  is  arranged  for.  I  need 
only  say  I  have  interests  in  South  Africa.* 

So,  one  morning  on  deck,  as  we  were  approaching 
the  Banks,  he  broached  his  scheme  gently  to  the 
doctor  and  Mrs.  Quackenboss.  He  remarked  that 
he  was  connected  with  one  of  the  biggest  financial 
concerns  in  the  Southern  hemisphere ;  and  that  he 
would  pay  Elihu  fifteen  hundred  a  year  to  represent 
him  at  the  diggings. 

'What,    dollars?'    the    lady    said,    smiling    and 


224 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


^1 


accentuating  the  tip-tilted  nose  a  little  more.     '  Oh, 
Mr.  Porter,  it  ain't  good  enough  ! ' 

'  Nc,  pounds,  my  dear  madam,*  Charles  responded. 
*  Pounds  sterling,  you  know.  In  United  States 
currency,  seven  thousand  five  hundred.* 

*  I  guess  Elihu  would  just  jump  At  it,*  Mrs. 
Quackenboss  replied,  looking  at  him  quizzically. 

The  doctor  laughed.  'You  make  a  good  bid, 
sir,*  he  said,  in  hijs  slow  American  way,  emphasising 
all  the  most  unimportant  words :  *  but  you  over- 
look one  element.  I  am  a  man  of  science,  not  a 
speculator.  I  have  trained  myself  for  medical  work, 
at  considerable  cost,  in  the  best  schools  of  Europe, 
and  I  do  not  propose  to  fling  away  the  results  of 
much  arduous  labour  by  throwmg  myself  out 
elastically  into  a  new  line  of  work  for  which  my 
faculties  may  not  perhaps  equally  adapt  me.* 

(*  How  thoroughly  American  1  *  I  murmured,  in 
the  background.) 

Charles  insisted  ;  all  in  vain.  Mrs.  Quackenboss 
was  impressed ;  but  the  doctor  smiled  always  a 
sphinx-like  smile,  and  reiterated  his  belief  in  the 
unfitness  of  mid-stream  as  an  ideal  place  for  swopping 
horses.  The  more  he  declined,  and  the  better  he 
talked,  the  more  eager  Charles  became  each  day  to 
secure  him.  And,  as  if  on  purpose  to  draw  him  on, 
the  doctor  each  day  gave  more  and  more  surprising 
proofs  of  his  practical  abilities.  '  I  am  not  a 
specialist,'  he  said.  *  I  just  ketch  the  drift,  appro- 
priate the  kernel,  and  let  the  rest  slide.* 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  JAPANNED  DISPATCH-BOX       225 


'Oh, 

londed. 
States 

;   Mrs. 

ly. 

od  bid, 
lasising 

I  over- 
,  not  a 

II  work, 
Europe, 
suits  0/ 
:lf  out 
ich  my 

ired,  in 

cenboss 
ivays  a 
in  the 
'opping 
ter  he 
day  to 
lim  on, 
prising 
not  a 
appro- 


He  could  do  anything,  it  really  sceiiiCd,  from 
shoeing  a  mule  to  conducting  a  camp-meeting  ;  he 
was  a  capital  chemist,  a  very  sound  surgeon,  a  fair 
judge  of  horseflesh,  a  first  class  euchre  player,  and  a 
pleasing  baritone.  When  occasion  demanded  he 
could  occupy  a  pulpit.  He  had  invented  a  cork- 
screw which  brought  him  in  a  small  revenue  ;  and  he 
was  now  engaged  in  the  translation  of  a  Polish  work 


CHARLES    INSISTKn 


on   the  'Application    of   Hydrocyanic  Acid   to   the 
Cure  of  Leprosy.' 

Still,  we  reached  New  York  without  having  got 
any  nearer  our  goal,  as  regarded  Dr.  Quackcnboss. 
He  came  to  bid  us  good-bye  at  the  quay,  with  that 
sphinx-like  smile  still  playing  upon  his  features. 
Charles  clutched  the  dispatch-box  with  one  hand,  and 
Mrs.  Quackenboss's  little  palm  with  the  other. 

*  DorCt  tell  us,'  he  said,  'this  is  good-bye — for 
ever  ! '     And  his  voice  quite  faltered. 

Q 


226 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


'  I  guess  so,  Mr.  Porter,'  the  pretty  American 
replied,  with  a  telling  glance.  *  Wh*at  hotel  do  you 
patronise  ? ' 

*  The  Murray  Hill,'  Charles  responded. 

*  Oh  my,  ain't  that  odd  ? '  Mrs.  Quackenboss 
echoed.  'The  Murray  Hill  I  Why,  that's  just  where 
we're  going  too,  Elihu  I ' 

The  upshot  of  which  was  that  Charles  persuaded 
them,  before  returning  to  Kentucky,  to  diverge  for  a 
few  days  with  us  to  Lake  George  and  Lake 
Champlain,  where  he  hoped  to  over-persuade  the 
recalcitrant  doctor. 

To  Lake  George  therefore  we  went,  and  stopped 
at  the  excellent  hotel  at  the  terminus  of  the  railway. 
We  spent  a  good  deal  of  our  time  on  the  light  little 
steamers  that  ply  between  that  point  and  the  road  to 
Ticonderoga.  Somehow,  the  mountains  mirrored  in 
the  deep  green  water  reminded  me  of  Lucerne ; 
and  Lucerne  reminded  me  of  the  little  curate.  For 
the  first  time  since  we  left  England  a  vague  terror 
seized  me.  Could  Elihu  Quackenboss  be  Colonel 
Clay  again,  still  dogging  our  steps  through  the  op- 
posite continent  ? 

I  could  not  help  mentioning  my  suspicion  to 
Charles — who,  strange  to  say,  pooh-poohed  it.  He 
had  been  payirg  great  court  to  Mrs.  Quackenboss 
that  day,  and  v  as  absurdly  elated  because  the  little 
American  had  rapped  his  knuckles  with  her  fan  and 
called  him  '  a  real  siliy.' 

Next  day,  however,  an  odd  thing  occurred.     We 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  JAPANNED  DISPATCH-BOX      227 


op- 


VVe 


strolled  out  together,  all  four  of  us,  along  the  banks 
of  the  lake,  among  woods  just  carpeted  with  strange, 
triangular  flowers — triiliums,  Mrs.  Quackenboss  called 
them — and  lined  with  delicate  ferns  in  the  first  green 
of  springtide. 

I  began  to  grow  poetical.  (I  wrote  verses  in  my 
youth  before  I  went  to  South  Africa.)  We  threw 
ourselves  on  the  grass,  near  a  small  mountain  stream 
that  descended  among  moss-clad  boulders  from  the 
steep  woods  above  us.  The  Kentuckian  flung  him- 
self at  full  length  on  the  sward,  just  in  front  of 
Charles.  He  had  a  strange  head  of  hair,  very  thick 
and  shaggy.  I  don't  know  why,  but,  of  a  sudden,  it 
reminded  me  of  the  Mexican  Seer,  whom  we  had 
learned  to  remember  as  Colonel  Clay's  first  embodi- 
ment. At  the  same  moment  the  same  thought 
seemed  to  run  through  Charles's  head  ;  for,  strange 
to  say,  with  a  quick  impulse  he  leant  forward  and 
examined  it.  I  saw  Mrs.  Quackenboss  draw  back  in 
wonder.  The  hair  looked  too  thick  and  close  for 
nature.  It  ended  abruptly,  I  now  remembered,  with 
a  sharp  line  on  the  forehead.  Could  this,  too,  be  a 
wig?     It  seemed  very  probable. 

Even  as  I  thought  that  thought,  Charles  appeared 
to  form  a  sudden  and  resolute  determination.  With 
one  lightning  swoop  he  seized  the  doctor's  hair  in 
his  powerful  hand,  and  tried  to  lift  it  off  bodily. 
He  had  made  a  bad  guess.  Next  instant  the  doctor 
uttered  a  loud  and  terrified  howl  of  pain,  while 
several  of  his  hairs,  root  and  all.  came  out  of  his 


228 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


scalp  in  Charles's  hand,  leaving  a  few  drops  of 
blood  on  the  skin  of  the  head  in  the  place  they 
were  torn  from.  There  was  no  doubt  at  all  it 
was  not  a  wig,  but  the  Kentuckian's  natural  hirsute 
covering. 

The  scene  that  ensued  I  am  powerless  to  describe. 
My  pen  is  unequal  to  it.     The  doctor  arose,  not  so 


HE   SEIZED   THE   DOCTOR'S   HAIR 


much  angry  as  astonished,  white  and  incredulous. 
'  What  did  you  do  that  for,  any  way  ? '  he  asked, 
glaring  fiercely  at  my  brother-in-law.  Charles  was 
all  abject  apology.  He  began  by  profusely  express- 
ing his  regret,  and  offering  to  make  any  suitable 
reparation,  monetary  or  otherwise.  Then  he  revealed 
his  whole  hand.  He  admitted  that  he  was  Sir 
Charles  Vandrift,  the  famous  millionaire,  and  that  he 
had  suffered  egregiously  from  the  endless  machina- 


h  ^« 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  JAPANNED  DISPATCH-BC    '      229 


W^/ 


w, 


<t 


tions  of  a  certain  Colonel  Clay,  a  machiavellian 
rogue,  who  had  hounded  him  relentless!/  round  the 
capitals  of  Europe.  He  described  in  graphic  detail 
how  the  impostor  got  himself  up  with  wigs  and  wax, 
so  as  to  deceive  even  those  who  knew  him  intimately; 
and  then  he  threw  himself  on  Dr.  Quackenboss's 
mercy,  as  a  man  who  had  been  cruelly  taken  in  so 
often  that  he  could  not  help  suspecting  the  best  of 
men  falsely.  Mrs.  Quackenboss  admitted  it  was 
natural  to  have  suspicions — 'Especially,'  she  said, 
with  candour,  •  as  you're  not  the  first  to  observe  the 
notable  way  Elihu's  hair  seems  to  originate  from  his 
forehead,'  and  she  pulled  it  up  to  show  iis.  But 
Elihu  himself  sulked  on  in  the  dumps :  his  dignity 
was  offended.  *  If  you  wanted  to  know,'  he  said, 
'you  might  as  well  have  asked  me.  Assault  and 
battery  is  not  the  right  way  to  test  whether  a 
citizen's  hair  is  primitive  or  acquired.' 

*  It  was  an  impulse,'  Charles  pleaded ;  *  an  in- 
stinctive impulse  1 ' 

*  Civilised  man  resti-^ins  his  impulses,'  the  doctor 
answered.  'You  hc.ve  lived  too  long  in  South 
Africa,  Mr.  Porter — I  mean,  Sir  Charles  Vandrift, 
if  that's  the  right  way  to  address  such  a  gentleman. 
You  appe  ;.r  to  have  imbibed  the  habits  and  manners 
of  the  Kaffirs  you  lived  among.' 

For  the  next  two  days,  I  will  really  admit,  Charles 
seemed  more  wretched  than  I  could  have  believed  it 
possible  for  him  to  be  on  somebody  else's  account.  He 
positively  grovelled.     The  fact  was,  he  saw  he  had 


I 


•30 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


r '' 


I' 
1 


hurt  Dr.  Quackcnboss's  fecHtigs,  and — much  to  my 
surprise — he  seemed  truly  grieved  at  it.  If  the 
doctor  would  have  accepted  a  thousand  pounds 
down  to  shake  hands  at  once  and  forget  the  incident 
— in  my  opinion  Charles  would  have  gladly  paid  it. 
Indeed,  he  said  as  much  in  other  words  to  the  pretty 
American — for  he  could  not  insult  her  by  offering 
her  money.  Mrs.  Quackenboss  did  her  best  to  make 
it  up,  for  she  was  a  kindly  little  creature,  in  spite  of 
her  roguishness ;  but  Elihu  stood  aloof  Charles 
urged  him  still  to  go  out  to  South  Africa,  increasing 
his  bait  to  two  thousand  a  year  ;  yet  the  doctor  was 
immovable.  '  No,  no,'  he  said  ;  *  I  had  half  decided 
to  accept  your  offer — ////  that  unfortunate  impulse  ; 
but  that  settled  the  question.  As  an  American 
citizen,  I  decline  to  become  the  representative  of  a 
British  nobleman  who  takes  such  means  of  in- 
vestigating questions  which  affect  the  hair  and 
happiness  ofhxs  fellow-creatures.' 

I  don't  know  whether  Charles  was  most  dis- 
appointed at  missing  the  chance  of  so  clever  a 
superintendent  for  the  mine  at  Cloetedorp,  or  elated 
at  the  novel  description  of  himself  as  '  a  British 
nobleman  ; '  which  is  not  precisely  our  English  idea 
of  a  colonial  knighthood. 

Three  days  later,  accordingly,  the  Quackenbosses 
left  the  Lakeside  Hotel.  We  were  bound  on  an 
expedition  up  the  lake  ourselves,  when  the  pretty 
little  woman  burst  in  with  a  dash  to  tell  us  they 
were  leaving.     She  was  charmingly  got  up  in   the 


i;i 


IlIK  i:i'ISODE  OF  THE  JArANNED  DISPATCH-BOX       23! 

neatest  ami  complctcst  of  American  travfllin^- 
ilrcsscs.  Charles  held  her  hand  affectionately.  '  I'm 
sorry  it's  yood-bye,'  he  said.  '  I  have  done  my  best 
to  secure  your  husband.' 

'  \'()U  couldn't  have   tried   harder  than  I  did,'  the 
little  woman  answered,  and  the  tip-tilted  nose  looked 


THE   rRT.TTY   MTTLR   WOMAN  BITRST   IN. 


quite  pathetic  ;  '  for  I  just  hate  to  be  buried   right 
down  there  in   Kentucky  !      However,  Elihu  is  the 
sort  of  man  a  woman  can  neither  drive  nor  lead  ;  so. 
we've    got    to    put   up  with   him.'      And  she  smiled 
upon  us  sweetly,  and  disappeared  for  ever. 

Charles  was  disconsolate  all  that  day.  Next 
morning  he  rose,  and  announced  his  intention  of 
setting  out  for  the  West  on  his  tour  of  inspection. 


i  1 


WKn>sittMtiii/" 


I    !• 


I 


•I 


233 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


He  would  recreate  by  revelling  in  Colorado  silver 
lodes. 

We  packed  our  own  portmanteaus,  for  Charles 
had  not  brought  even  Simpson  with  him,  and  then 
we  prepared  to  set  out  by  the  morning  train  for 
Saratoga. 

Up  till  almost  the  last  moment  Charles  nursed 
his  dispatch-box.  But  as  the  *  baggage-smashers ' 
were  taking  down  our  luggage,  and  a  chambermaid 
was  lounging  officiously  about  in  soarch  of  a  tip,  he 
laid  it  down  for  a  second  or  two  on  the  centre  table 
while  he  collected  his  other  immediate  impedimenta. 
He  couldn't  find  his  cigarette-case,  and  went  back 
to  the  bedroom  for  it.  I  helped  him  hunt,  but  it 
had  disappeo.ved  mysteriously.  That  moment  lost 
him.  When  we  had  found  the  cigarette-case,  and 
returned  to  the  sitting-room — lo,  and  behold  !  the 
dispatch-box  was  missing !  Charles  questioned  the 
servants,  but  none  of  them  had  noticed  it.  He 
searched  round  the  room — not  a  trace  of  it  any- 
where. 

*  Why,  I  laid  it  down  here  just  two  minutes  ago  ! ' 
he  cried.      But  it  was  not  forthcoming. 

'  It'll  turn  up  in  time,'  I  said.  '  Everything 
turns  up  in  the  end — including  Mrs.  Quackenboss's 
nose.' 

*  Seymour,'  said  my  brother-in-law,  *  your  hilarity 
is  inopportune.' 

To  say  the  truth,  Charles  was  beside  himself 
with  anger.     He   took   the  elevator   down    to    the 


s. 


.1 


■f 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  JAPANNED  DISPATCH-BOX      233 


'  Bureau/  as  they  call  it,  and  complained  to  the 
manager.  The  manager,  a  sharp-faced  New  Yorker, 
smiled  as  he  remarked  in  a  nonchalant  way  that 
guests  with  valuables  were  required  to  leave  them 
in  charge  of  the  management,  in  which  case  they 
were  locked  up  in  the  safe  and  duly  returned  to  the 
depositor  on  leaving.  Charles  declared  somewhat 
excited'/  that  he  had  beer,  robbed,  and  demanded 
that  nobody  should  be  allowed  to  leave  the  hotel 
till  the  dispatch-box  was  discovered.  The  manager, 
quite  cool,  and  obtrusively  picking  his  teeth,  re- 
sponded that  such  tactics  might  be  possible  in  an 
hotel  of  the  European  size,  putting  up  a  couple  of 
hundred  guests  or  so ;  but  that  an  American  house, 
with  over  a  thousand  visitors — many  of  whom  came 
and  went  daily — could  not  undertake  such  a  quixotic 
quest  on  behalf  of  a  single  foreign  complainant. 

That  epithet,  *  foreign,'  stung  Charles  to  the 
quick.  No  Englishman  can  admit  that  he  is  any- 
where a  foreigner.  *  Do  you  know  who  I  am,  sir  ? ' 
he  asked,  angrily.  *  I  am  Sir  Charles  Vandrift,  of 
London — a  member  of  the  English  Parliament' 

'You  may  be  the  Prince  of  Wales,'  the  man 
answered,  *  for  all  I  rare.  You'll  get  the  same 
treatment  as  anyone  else,  in  America.  But  if  you're 
Sir  Charles  Vandrift,'  he  went  on,  examining  his 
books,  *  how  does  it  come  you've  registered  as  Mr. 
Peter  Porter  ? ' 

Charles  grew  red  with  embarrassment.  The 
difficulty  deepened. 


imtmsiaia- 


I 


I    '( 


234 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


The  dispatch-box,  always  covered  with  a  leather 
case,  bore  on  its  inner  \\d  the  name  '  Sir  Charles 
Vandrift,  K.C.M.G.,'  distinctly  painted  in  the  orthodox 
white  letters.  This  was  a  painful  conlreteinps :  he 
had  lost  his  precious  documents  ;  he  had  given  a 
false  name ;  and  he  had  rendered  the  manager 
supremely  careless  whether  or  not  he  recovered  his 
stolen  property.  Indeed,  seeing  he  had  registered 
as  Porter,  and  now  *  claimed '  as  Vandrift,  the 
manager  hinted  in  pretty  plain  language  he  very 
much  doubted  whether  there  had  ever  been  a 
dispatch-box  in  the  matter  at  all,  or  whether,  if 
there  were  one,  it  had  ever  contained  any  valuable 
documents. 

We  spent  a  wretched  morning.  Charles  went 
round  the  hotel,  questioning  everybody  as  to  whether 
they  had  seen  his  dispatch-box.  Most  of  the  visitors 
resented  the  question  as  a  personal  imputation  ;  one 
fiery  Virginian,  indeed,  wanted  to  settle  the  point 
then  and  there  with  a  six-shooter.  Charles  tele- 
graphed to  New  York  to  prevent  th^  shares  and 
coupons  from  being  negotiated  ;  but  his  brokers 
telegraphed  back  that,  though  they  had  stopped  the 
numbers  as  far  as  posiible,  they  did  so  with  reluctance, 
as  they  were  not  aware  of  Sir  Charles  Vandrift  being 
now  in  the  country.  Charles  declared  he  wouldn't 
leave  the  hotel  till  he  recovered  his  property  ;  and 
for  myself,  I  was  inclined  to  suppose  we  would  have 
to  remain  there  accordingly  for  the  term  of  our 
natural  lives — and  longer. 


r 


went 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  JAPANNED  DISPATCH-BOX      235 

That  night  again  we  spent  at  the  Lakeside  Hotel. 
In  the  small  hours  of  the  morning,  as  I  lay  awake 
and  meditated,  a  thought  broke  across  me.  I  was 
so  excited  by  it  that  I  rose  and  rushed  into  my 
brother-in-law's  bedroom.  '  Charles,  Charles  ! '  I 
exclaimed,  '  we  have  taken  too  much  for  granted 
once  more.  Perhaps  Elihu  Quackenboss  carried  off 
your  dispatch-box  1 ' 


A   FIERY   VIRGINIAN. 


*  You  fool,'  Charles  answered,  in  his  most  un- 
amiable  manner  (he  applies  that  word  to  me  with 
increasing  frequency)  ;  '  is  that  what  you've  waked 
me  up  for  ?  Why,  the  Quackenbosses  left  Lake 
George  on  Tuesday  morning,  and  I  had  the  dispatch- 
box  in  my  own  hands  on  Wednesday.' 

'  We  have  only  their  word  for  it,'  I  cried. 
'  Perhaps  they  stopped  on — and  walked  off  with  it 
afterwards  ! ' 

'We  will  inquire   to-morrow,'  Charles  answered. 


itrtSammu 


236 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


H 


'  But  I  confess  I  don't  think  it  was  worth  waking  me 
up  for.  I  could  stake  my  life  on  that  little  woman's 
integrity.' 

We  dzd  inquire  next  morning — with  this  curious 
result :  it  turned  out  that,  though  the  Quackenbosses 
had  left  the  Lakeside  Hotel  on  Tuesday,  it  was 
only  for  the  neighbouring  Washington  House,  which 
they  quitted  on  Wednesday  morning,  taking  the 
same  train  for  Saratoga  which  Charles  ,  and  I  had 
intended  to  go  by.  Mrs.  Quackenboss  carried  a 
small  brown  paper  parcel  in  her  hands — in  which, 
under  the  circumstances,  we  had  little  difficulty  in 
recognising  Charles's  dispatch-box,  loosely  enveloped. 

Then  I  knew  how  it  was  done.  The  chamber- 
maid, loitering  about  the  room  for  a  tip,  was — Mrs. 
Quackenboss  !  It  needed  but  an  apron  to  transform 
her  pretty  travelling-dress  into  a  chambermaid's 
costume ;  and  in  any  r  f  those  huge  American  hotels 
one  chambermaid  more  or  less  would  pass  in  the 
crowd  without  fear  of  challenge. 

'  We  will  follow  them  on  to  Saratoga,'  Charles 
cried.     *  Pay  the  bill  at  once,  Seymour.' 

'  Certainly,'  I  answered.  *  Will  you  give  me 
some  money?* 

Charles  clapped  his  hand  to  his  pockets.  *  All, 
all  in  the  dispatch-box,'  he  murmured.  ^ 

That  tied  us  up  another  day,  till  we  could  get 
some  ready  cash  from  our  agents  in  New  York  ;  for 
the  manager,  already  most  suspicious  at  the  change 
of  name  and  the  accusation  of  theft,  peremptorily 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  JAPANNED  DISPaTCIi-LOX      237 


ing  me 
Oman's 

curious 
nbosses 

it  was 
:,  which 
ng    the 
I  had 
rried    a 
1  which, 
:ulty  in 
veloped. 
hamber- 
s — Mrs. 
ansform 
ermaid's 

n  hotels 
in  the 

Charles 

five    me 

*A11, 

mid  get 
)rk  ;  for 
change 
nptorily 


refused  to  accept  Charles's  cheque,  or  anything  else, 
as  he  phrased  it,  except  *  hard  money.'  So  we 
lingered  on  perforce  at  Lake  George  in  ignoble 
inaction. 

*  Of  course,'  I  observed  to  my  brother-in-law  that 
evening,  '  Elihu  Quackenboss  was  Colonel  Clay.' 

*  I  suppose  so,'  Charles  murmured  resignedly. 
*  Everybody  I  meet  seems  to  be  Colonel  Clay  nov- 
adays — except  when  I  believe  they  are,  in  which 
case  they  turn  out  to  be  harmless  nobodies.  But 
who  would  have  thought  it  was  he  after  I  pulled  his 
hair  out  ?  Or  after  he  persisted  in  his  trick,  even 
when  I  suspected  him — which,  he  told  us  at  Seldon, 
was  against  his  first  principles  ? ' 

A  light  dawned  upon  me  again.  But,  warned  by 
previous  ebullitions,  I  expressed  myself  this  time 
with  becoming  timidity.  '  Charles,*  I  suggested,*  may 
we  not  here  again  have  been  the  slaves  of  a  pie- 
conception  ?  We  thought  Forbes  -  Gaskell  was 
Colonel  Clay — for  no  better  reason  than  because  he 
wore  a  wig.  We  thought  Elihu  Quackenboss  wasn't 
Colonel  Clay — for  no  better  reason  than  because  he 
didn't  wear  one.  But  how  do  we  know  he  ever 
wears  wigs?  Isn't  it  possible,  after  all,  that  those 
hints  he  gave  us  about  make-up,  when  he  was 
Medhurst  the  detective,  were  framed  on  purpose,  so 
as  to  mislead  and  deceive  us  ?  And  isn't  it  possible 
what  he  said  of  his  methods  at  the  Seamcw's  island 
that  day  was  similarly  designed  in  order  to  hoodwink 
us?' 


'"***»*;.•*«»«»_ 


238 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


n>\ 


'  That  is  so  obvious,  Sey,'  my  brother-in-law 
observed,  in  a  most  aggrieved  tone,  *  that  I  should 
have  thought  a.iy  secretary  worth  his  salt  would 
have  arrived  at  it  instantly.' 

I  abstained  from  remarking  that  Charles  himself 
liad  not  arrived  at  it  even  now,  until  I  told  him.  I 
thought  that  to  say  so  would  serve  no  good  purpose. 
So  I  merely  went  on  :  '  Well,  it  seems  to  me  likely 
that  when  he  came  as  Medhurst,  with  his  hair  cut 
short,  he  was  really  wearing  his  own  natural  crop,  in 
its  simplest  form  and  of  its  native  hue.  By  now  it 
has  had  time  to  grow  long  and  bushy.  When  he 
was  David  Granton,  no  doubt,  he  clipped  it  to  an 
intermediate  length,  trimmed  his  beard  and  moustache, 
and  dyed  them  all  red,  to  a  fine  Scotch  colour.  As 
the  Seer,  again,  he  wore  his  hair  much  the  same  as 
Elihu's  ;  only,  to  suit  the  character,  more  combed 
and  fluffy.  As  the  little  curate,  he  darkened  it  and 
plastered  it  down.  As  Von  Lebenstein,  he  shaved 
close,  but  cultivated  his  moustache  to  its  utmost 
dimensions,  and  dyed  it  black  after  the  Tyrolese 
fashion.  He  need  never  have  had  a  wig  ;  his  own 
natural  hair  would  throughout  have  been  sufficient, 
allowing  for  intervals.' 

*  You're  right,  Sey,' my  brother-in-law  said,  growing 
almost  friendly.  *  I  will  do  you  the  justice  to  admit 
that's  the  nearest  thing  we  have  yet  struck  out  to  an 
idea  for  tracking  him.' 

On  the  Saturday  morning  a  letter  arrived  which 
relieved  us  a  little  from  our  momentary  tension.     It 


-in-law 

should 

would 

himself 
lim.  I 
)urpose. 
e  likely 
lair  cut 
crop,  in 
'  now  it 
/hen  he 
t  to  an 
ustache, 
ur.  As 
same  as 

combed 
d  it  and 
;  shaved 

utmost 
Tyrolese 

his  own 
lufficient, 

,  growing 
to  admit 
)ut  to  an 

ed  which 
sion.     It 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  JAPANNED  DISPATCH-BOX      239 

was  from  our  enemy  himself — but  most  different  in 
tone  from  his  previous  bantering  communications  : — 

*  Saratoga,  Friday. 

'Sir  Charles  Vandrift — Herewith  I  return 
your  dispatch-box,  intact,  with  the  papers  untouched. 
As  you  will  readily  observe,  it  has  not  even  been 
opened. 

*  You  will  ask  me  the  reason  for  this  strange 
conduct.  Let  me  be  serious  for  once,  and  tell  you 
truthfully. 

'  White  Heather  and  I  (for  I  will  stick  to  Mr. 
Went  worth's  judicious  sobriquet)  came  over  on  the 
Etruria  with  you,  intending,  as  usual,  to  make  some- 
thing out  of  you.  We  followed  you  to  Lake  George 
— for  I  had  "  forced  a  card,"  after  my  habitual  plan, 
by  inducing  you  to  invite  us,  with  the  fixed  intention 
of  playing  a  particular  trick  upon  you.  It  formed 
no  part  of  our  original  game  to  steal  your  dispatch- 
box  ;  that  I  consider  a  simple  and  elementary  trick 
unworthy  the  skill  of  a  practised  operator.  We 
persisted  in  the  preparations  for  our  coup,  till  you 
pulled  my  hair  out.  Then,  to  my  great  surprise,  I 
saw  you  exRibitod  a  degree  of  regret  and  genuine 
compunction  with  which,  till  that  moment,  I  could 
never  have  credited  you.  You  thought  you  had 
hurt  my  feelings ;  and  you  behaved  more  like  a 
gentleman  than  I  had  previously  known  you  to  do. 
You  not  only  apologised,  but  you  also  endeavoured 
voluntarily  to  make  reparation.     That  produced  an 


.IJ 


^4haiii4toX«Uia«^ 


I'i 


::  ill 


'■■  i 

:   ■! 

1 

'    i 

s 

, 

r 

1 

f 

b 

L 

240 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


effect  upon  me.  You  may  not  believe  it,  but  I 
desisted  accordingly  from  the  trick  I  had  prepared 
for  you. 

*  I  might  ."Iso  have  accepted  your  offer  to  go  to 
South  Africa,  where  I  could  soon  have  cleared  out, 
having  embezzled  thousands.  But,  then,  I  should 
have  been  in  a  position  of  trust  and  responsibility — 
and  I  am  not  quite  rogue  enough  to  rob  you  under 
the  J  conditions. 

'  VVhateAcr  else  I  am,  however,  I  am  not  a 
hypocrite.  I  do  not  pretend  to  be  anything  more 
than  a  common  swindler.  If  I  return  you  your 
papers  intact,  it  is  only  on  the  same  principle  as 
that  of  the  Australian  bushranger,  who  made  a  lady 
a  present  of  her  own  watch  because  she  had  sung  to 
him  and  reminded  him  of  England.  In  other  words, 
he  did  not  take  it  from  her.  In  like  manner,  when 
I  found  you  had  behaved,  for  once,  like  a  gentleman, 
contrary  to  my  expectation,  I  dtclined  to  go  on  with 
the  trick  I  then  meditated.  Which  does  not  mean 
to  say  I  may  not  hereafter  play  you  some  other. 
TJiat  will  depend  upon  your  future  good  behaviour. 

*  Why,  then,  did  I  get  White  Heather  to  purloin 
your  dispatch-box,  with  intent  to  return  it?  Out  of 
pure  lightness  of  heart?  Not  so;  but  in  order  to 
let  you  see  I  really  meant  it.  If  I  had  gone  off 
with  no  swag,  and  then  written  you  this  letter,  you 
would  not  have  believed  me.  You  would  have 
thought  it  was  merely  another  of  my  failures.  But 
when   I  have  actually  got  all  your  papers  into  my 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  JAPANNED  DISPATCH-BOX      241 

hands,  and  give  them  up  again   of  my  own  free  will, 
you  must  sec  that  I  mean  it. 

'  I  will  end,  as  I  began,  seriously.  My  trade  has 
not  quite  crushed  out  of  me  all  germs  or  relics  of 
better  feeling  ;  and  when  I  see  a  millionaire  behave 
like  a  man,  I  feel  ashamed  to  take  advantage  of  that 
gleam  of  manliness. 


STII.I.   A    ROGUE. 


'Yours,   with   a    tinge    of   penitence,    but   still    a 
rogue,  CUTIIBERT  Clav.' 


:' i 


The  first  thing  Charles  did  on  receiving  this 
strange  communication  was  to  bolt  downstairs  and 
inquire  for  the  dispatch-box.  It  had  just  arrived  by 
Eagle  Express  Company.  Charles  rushed  up  to  our 
rooms  again,  opened  it  feverishly,  and   counted   his 


24: 


AN  AKUICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


--f>- 


documents.  Wl'oii  he  found  ihcm  all  safe,  he  turned 
to  me  with  a  hard  smile.  '  This  letter,'  he  said,  with 
quivering  lips,  '  I  consider  still  more  insulting  than 
all  his  previous  ones.* 

But,  for  myself,  I  really  thought  there  was  a  ring 
of  truth  about  it.  Colon ol  Clay  was  a  rogue,  no 
doubt — a  most  unblushing  rogue  ;  but  even  a  rogue, 
I  believe,  has  his  belter  moments. 

Antl  the  phrase  about  Lhe  '  jiosition  of  trust  and 
responsibility'  touched  Charles  to  the  quick,  I  suppose, 
in  re  the  Slump  in  Cloctedorp  Golcondns.  Though, 
to  be  sure,  it  was  a  hit  at  me  as  well,  over  the  ten 
per  cent  commission. 


i      i 


X 


THE    EPISODE    01'    THE   GAME   OF    POKER 


!i 


'Seymour,'  my  brother -in -law  said,  with  a  deep- 
drawn  sigh,  as  we  left  Lake  George  next  day  by  the 
Rennselaer  and  Saratoga  Railroad,  '  no  more  Peter 
Porter  for  me,  if  you  please  !  I'm  sick  of  disguises. 
Now  that  we  know  Colonel  Clay  is  here  in  America, 
they  serve  no  good  purpose  ;  so  I  may  as  well  receive 
the  social  consideration  and  proper  respect  to  which 
my  rank  and  position  naturally  entitle  me.' 

'  And  which  they  secure  for  the  most  part  (except 
from  hotel  clerks),  even  in  this  republican  land,'  I 
answered  briskly. 

For  in  my  humble  opinion,  for  sound  copper- 
bottomed  snobbery,  registered  Ai  at  Lloyd's,  give 
me  the  free-born  American  citizen. 

We  travelled  through  the  States,  accordingly,  for 
the  next  four  months,  from  Maine  to  California,  and 
from  Oregon  to  Florida,  under  our  own  true  names. 
Confirming  the  churches,'  as  Charles  facetiously 
put  it — or  in  other  words,  looking  into  the  manage- 
ment and  control  of  railways,  syndicates,  mines,  and 
cattle-ranches.     We  inquired  about  everything.     And 


V\ 


,    : 


244 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


the  result  of  our  investigations  appeared  to  be,  as 
Charles  further  remarked,  that  the  Sabcans  who  so 
troubled  the  sons  of  Job  seemed  to  have  migrated  in 
a  body  to  Kansas  and  Ncbraikfi,  and  that  several 
thousand  head  of  cattle  seemed  mysteriously  to 
vanish,  a  la  Colonel  Clay,  into  the  pure  air  of  the 
prairies  just  before  each  branding. 

However,  we  were  fortunate  in  avoiding  the 
incursions  of  the  Colonel  himself,  who  must  have 
migrated  meanwhile  on  some  enchanted  carpet  to 
other  happy  hunting-i^rounds. 

It  was  chill  October  before  we  found  ourselves 
safe  back  in  New  York,  en  route  for  luigland.  So 
long  a  term  of  freedom  from  the  Colonel's  depreda- 
tions (as  Charles  fondly  imagined — but  I  will  not 
anticipate)  had  done  my  brother-in-law's  health  and 
spirits  a  world  of  good  ;  he  was  so  lively  and  cheerful 
that  he  began  to  fancy  his  tormentor  must  have 
succumbed  to  yellow  fever,  then  raging  in  New 
Orleans,  or  eaten  himself  ill,  as  we  nearly  did  our- 
selves, on  a  generous  mixture  of  clam -chowder, 
terrapin,  soft-shelled  crabs,  Jersey  peaches,  canvas- 
backed  ducks,  Catawba  wine,  winter  cherries,  brandy 
Cocktails,  strawberry -shortcake,  ice-creams,  corn- 
dodger, and  a  judicious  brew  commonly  known  as 
a  Colorado  corpse-reviver.  However  that  may  be, 
Charles  returned  to  New  York  in  excellent  trim  ; 
and,  dreading  in  that  great  city  the  wiles  of  his 
antagonist,  he  cheerfully  accepted  the  invitation  of 
his  brother  millionaire,  Senator  Wrengold  of  Nevada, 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GAME  OF  POKER 


245 


to  spend  a  few  days  before  sailing  in  the  Senator's 
magnificent  and  newly-finished  palace  at  the  upper 
end  of  Fifth  Avenue. 

'There,  at  least,  I  shall  be  safe,  Sey,'  he  said  to 
ine  plaintively,  with  a  weary  smile.  *  Wrengold,  at 
any  rate,  won't  try  to  take  me  in — except,  of  course, 
in  the  regular  way  of  business.' 

Boss-Nugget  Hall  (as  it  is  popularly  christened) 
is  perhaps  the  handsomest  brown  stone  mansion  in 
the  Richardsonian  style  on  all  Fifth  Avenue.  We 
spent  a  delightful  week  there.  The  lines  had  fallen 
to  us  in  pleasant  places.  On  the  night  we  arrived 
Wrengold  gave  a  small  bachelor  party  in  our  honour. 
He  knew  Sir  Charles  was  travelling  without  Lady 
Vandrift,  and  rightly  judged  he  would  prefer  on  his 
first  night  an  informal  party,  with  cards  and  cigars, 
instead  of  being  bothered  with  the  chnrming,  but 
still  somewhat  hampering  addition  of  female 
society. 

The  guests  that  evening  were  no  more  than 
seven,  all  told,  ourselves  included — making  up, 
Wrengold  said,  that  perfect  number,  an  octave.  He 
was  a  noiiveau  riche  himself — the  newest  of  the  new 
— commonly  known  in  exclusive  old-fashioned  New 
York  society  as  the  Gilded  Squatter  ;  for  he  '  struck 
his  reef  no  more  than  ten  years  ago;  and  he  was 
therefore  doubly  anxious,  after  the  American  style,  to 
be  'just  dizzy  with  culture.'  In  his  capacity  of 
Maecenas,  he  had  invited  amongst  others  the  latest 
of    English    literary    arrivals    in     New  York — Mr. 


I 


H 


..S; 


•I 


246 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


Algernon  Coleyard,  the  famous  poet,  and  leader  of 
the  Briar-rose  school  of  West-country  fiction. 

'You  know  him  in  London,  of  course?'  he 
observed  to  Charles,  with  a  smile,  as  we  waited 
dinner  for  our  guests. 

'  No,*  Charles  answered  stolidly.  '  I  have  not 
had  that  honour.  We  move,  you  see,  in  different 
circles.' 

I  observed  by  a  curious  shade  which  passed  over 
Senator  Wrengold's  face  that  he  quite  misapprehended 
my  brother -'*n- law's  meaning.  Charles  wished  to 
convey,  of  course,  that  Mr.  Coleyard  belonged  to  a 
mere  literary  and  Bohemian  set  in  London,  while  he 
himself  moved  on  a  more  exalted  plane  of  peers  and 
politicians.  But  the  Senator,  better  accustomed  to 
the  new-rich  point  of  view,  understood  Charles  to 
mean  that  /le  had  not  the  entree  of  that  istinguished 
coterie  in  which  Mr.  Coleyard  posed  as  a  shining 
luminary.  Which  naturally  made  him  rate  even 
higher  than  before  his  literary  acquisition. 

At  two  minutes  past  the  hour  the  poet  entered. 
Even  if  we  had  not  been  already  familiar  with  his 
portrait  at  all  ages  in  T/ie  Strand  Magazine^  we 
should  have  recognised  him  at  once  for  a  genuine 
bard  by  his  impassioned  eyes,  his  delicate  mouth,  the 
artistic  twirl  of  one  gray  lock  upon  his  expansive 
brow,  the  grizzled  moustache  that  gave  point  and 
force  to  the  genial  smile,  and  the  two  white  rows  of 
perfect  teeth  behind  it.  Most  of  our  fellow-guests 
had  met  Coleyard  before  at  a  reception  given  by  the 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GAME  OF  POKER 


247 


of 


Lotus  Club  that  afternoon,  for  the  bard  had  reached 
New  York  but  the  previous  even  in  t^  ;  so  Charles  and 
I  were  the  only  visitors  who  remained  to  be  intro- 


THE    LION   OK   TIIK    HOUR. 


duced  to  him.  The  lion  of  the  hour  was  attired  in 
ordinary  evening  dress,  with  no  foppery  of  any  kind, 
but  he  wore  in  his  buttonhole  a  dainty  blue  flower 
whose    name    I    do   not   know  ;    and    as    he   bowed 


248 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


distantly  to  Charles,  whom  he  surveyed  through  his 
eyeglass,  the  gleam  of  a  big  diamond  in  the  middle 
of  his  shirt-front  betrayed  the  fact  that  the  Briar-rose 
school,  as  it  was  called  (from  his  famous  epic),  had 
at  least  succeeded  in  making  money  out  of  poetry. 
He  explained  to  us  a  little  later,  in  fact,  that  he  was 
over  in  New  York  to  look  after  his  royalties.  ^'  The 
beggars,'  he  said,  *  only  gave  me  eight  hundred 
pounds  on  my  last  volume.  I  couldn't  stand  that, 
you  know  ;  for  a  modern  bard,  moving  with  the  age, 
can  only  sing  when  duly  wound  up  ;  so  I've  run 
across  to  investigate.  Put  a  penny  in  the  slot, 
don't  you  see,  and  the  poet  will  pipe  for  you.' 

*  Exactly  like  myself,'  Charles  said,  finding  a 
point  in  common.  *  Fm  interested  in  mines  ;  and  I, 
too,  have  come  over  to  look  after  my  royalties.' 

The  poet  placed  his  eyeglass  in  his  eye  once 
more,  and  surveyed  Charles  deliberately  from  head 
to  foot.  '  Oh,'  he  murmured  slowly.  He  said  not 
a  word  more ;  but  somehow,  everybody  felt  that 
Charles  was  demolished.  I  saw  that  Wrengold, 
when  we  went  in  to  dinner,  hastily  altered  the 
cards  that  marked  their  places.  He  had  evidently 
put  Charles  at  first  to  sit  next  the  poet ;  he  varied 
that  arrangement  now,  setting  Algernon  Coleyard 
between  a  railway  king  and  a  magazine  editor.  I 
have  seldom  seen  my  respected  brother-in-law  so 
completely  silenced. 

The  poet's  conduct  during  dinner  was  most  peculiar. 
He  kept  quoting  poetry  at  inopportune  moments. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GAME  OF  POKER  249 

*  Roast    lamb   or   boiled    turkey,   sir  ? '    said    the 
footman. 

*  Mary  had  a  little  lamb,'  said  the  poet.      *  I   shall 
imitate  Mary.' 

Charles    and    the    Senator    thought    the  remark 
undignified. 


^^ 


f    ^  /^' 


.1 1 


I    SHALL   IMITATE   MARY. 


After  dinner,  however,  under  the  mellowing 
influence  of  some  excellent  Rocdcrcr,  Charles  began 
to  expand  again,  and  grew  lively  and  anecdotal. 
The  poet  had  made  us  all  laugh  not  a  little  with 
various  capital  stories  of  London  literary  society — at 
least  two  of  them,  I  think,  new  ones  ;  and  Charles 
was  moved  by  generous  emulation   to  contribute  his 


sHo^iiteu;,),/^^ 


I 


hill 


II'.  fll 


250 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


II 


own  share  to  the  amusement  of  the  company.  He 
was  in  excellent  cue.  He  is  not  often  brilliant ;  but 
when  he  chooses,  he  has  a  certain  dry  vein  of  caustic 
humour  which  is  decidedly  funny,  though  not  perhaps 
strictly  without  being  vulgar.  On  this  particular 
night,  then,  warmed  with  the  admirable  Wrengold 
champagne — the  best  made  in  America — he  launched 
out  into  a  full  and  embroidered  description  of  the 
various  ways  in  which  Colonel  Clay  had  deceived 
him.  I  will  not  say  that  he  narrated  them  in  full 
with  the  same  frankness  and  accuracy  that  I  have 
shown  in  these  pages  ;  he  suppressed  not  a  few  of 
the  most  amusing  details — on  no  other  ground, 
apparently,  than  because  they  happened  to  tell 
against  himself;  and  he  enlarged  a  good  deal  on  the 
surprising  cleverness  with  which  several  times  he  had 
nearly  secured  his  man ;  but  still,  making  all 
allowances  for  native  vanity  in  concealment  and 
addition,  he  was  distinctly  funny — he  represented 
the  matter  for  once  in  its  ludicrous  rather  than  in  its 
disastrous  aspect.  He  observed  also,  looking  around 
the  table,  that  after  all  he  had  lost  less  by  Colonel 
Clay  in  four  years  of  persecution  than  he  often  lost 
by  one  injudicious  move  in  a  single  day  on  the 
London  Stock  Exchange  ;  while  he  seemed  to  imply 
to  the  solid  men  oi*  New  York,  that  he  would  cheer- 
fully sacrifice  such  a  fleabite  as  that,  in  return  for 
the  amusement  and  excitement  of  the  chase  which 
the  Colonel  had  afforded  him. 

The  poet  was  pleased.     *  You  are  a  man  of  spirit. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GAME  OF  POKER 


251 


r.     He 

it;  but 

caustic 

perhaps 

irticular 

rengold 

aunched 

I  of  the 

deceived 

n  in  full 

:  I  have 

a  few  of 
ground, 

I    to   tell 

:al  on  the 

es  he  had 

iking    all 
lent    and 

ipresented 

:han  in  its 
ng  around 
,y  Colonel 
often  lost 
y  on    the 
to  imply 
,uld  cheer- 
return  for 
ase  which 

In  of  spirit, 


Sir  Charles,'  he  said.  *  I  love  to  see  this  fine  old 
English  admiration  of  pluck  and  adventure  !  The 
fellow  must  really  have  some  good  in  him,  after  all, 
I  should  like  to  take  notes  of  a  few  of  those  stories  ; 
they  would  supply  nice  material  for  basing  a  romance 
upon.' 

'  I  hardly  know  whether  I'm  exactly  the  man  to 
make  the  hero  of  a  novel,'  Charles  murmured,  with 
complacence.      And  he  certainly  didn't  look  it. 

*  /  was  thinking  rather  of  Colonel  Clay  as  the 
hero,'  the  poet  responded  coldly. 

'  Ah,  that's  the  way  with  you  men  of  letters,' 
Charles  answered,  growing  warm.  '  You  always  have 
a  sneaking  sympathy  with  the  rascals.' 

*  That  may  be  better,'  Colcyard  retorted,  in  an  icy 
voice,  '  than  sympathy  with  the  worst  forms  of  Stock 
Exchange  speculation.* 

The  company  smiled  uneasily.  The  railway  king 
wriggled.  Wrengold  tried  to  change  the  subject 
hastily.     But  Charles  would  not  be  put  down. 

'You  must  hear  the  end,  though,'  he  said. 
'  That's  not  quite  the  worst.  The  meanest  thing 
about  the  man  is  that  he's  also  a  hypocrite.  He 
wrote  me  such  a  letter  at  the  end  of  his  last  trick 
— here,  positively  here,  in  America.'  And  he  pro- 
ceeded to  give  his  own  version  of  the  Quackenboss 
incident,  enlivened  with  sundry  imaginative  bursts  of 
pure  Vandrift  fancy. 

When  Charles  spoke  of  Mrs.  Quackenboss  the 
poet   smiled.       'The  worst   of  married  w^men,'  he 


252 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


said,  '  is — that  you  can't  marry  them  ;  the  worst  of 
unmarried  women  is — that  they  want  to  marry  you.' 
But  when  it  came  to  the  letter,  the  poet's  eye  was 
upon  my  brother-in-law.  Charles,  I  must  fain 
admit,  garbled  the  document  sadly.  Still,  even 
so,  some  gleam  of  good  feeling  remained  in  its 
sentence's.  But  Charles  ended  all  by  saying,  'So, 
to  crown  his  misdemeanours,  the  rascal  shows  him- 
self a  whining  cur  and  a  disgusting  Pharisee.' 

'  Don't  you  think,'  the  poet  interposed,  in  his 
cultivated  drawl,  'he  may  have  really  meant  it? 
Why  should  not  some  grain  of  compunction  have 
stirred  his  soul  still  ? — some  remnant  of  conscience 
made  him  shrink  from  betraying  a  nan  who  confided 
in  him  ?  I  have  an  idea,  myself,  that  even  the  worst 
of  rogues  have  always  some  good  in  them.  I  notice 
they  often  succeed  to  the  end  in  retaining  the 
affection  and  fidelity  of  women.' 

'  Oh,  I  said  so  !  *  Charles  sneered.  *  I  told  you 
you  literary  men  have  always  an  underhand  regard 
for  a  scoundrel.' 

'  Perhaps  so,'  the  poet  answered.  *  For  we  are  all 
of  us  human.  Let  him  that  is  without  sin  among 
us  cast  the  first  stone.'  And  then  he  relapsed  into 
moody  silence. 

We  rose  from  table.  Cigars  went  round.  We 
adjourned  to  the  smoking-room.  It  was  a  Moorish 
marvel,  with  Oriental  hangings.  There,  Senator 
Wrengold  and  Charles  exchanged  reminiscences  of 
bonanzas    and    ranches    and    other    exciting    post- 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GA^^-:  OF  TOKER 


253 


»rst  of 
f  you.' 
^e  was 
;t  fain 
[,  even 
in  its 
ig, 'So, 
^s  him- 

in  his 
;ant  it  ? 
Dn  have 
nscience 
confided 
•he  worst 

I  notice 
ling    the 

told  you 
regard 

Ive  are  all 
n  among 
psed  into 

lind.     We 
L  Moorish 
,   Senator 
cences  of 
ing    post- 


prandial topics  ;  while  the  magazine  editor  cut  in 
now  and  again  with  a  pertinent  inquiry  or  a  quaint 
and  sarcastic  parallel  instance.  It  was  clear  he  had 
an    eye  to  future  copy.       Only  Algernon   Coleyard 


MOODY. 


sat  brooding  and  silent,  with  his  chin  on  one  hand, 
and  his  brow  intent,  musing  and  gazing  at  the 
embers  in  the  fireplace.  The  hand,  by  the  way, 
was  remarkable  for  a  curious,  antique-looking  ring, 
apparently  of   Egyptian   or   Etruscan   workmanship, 


*3-*l 


■mmmmt 


254 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


I » 


I 


with  a  projecting  gem  of  several  large  facets.  Once 
only,  in  the  midst  of  a  game  of  whist,  he  broke  out 
with  a  single  comment. 

'  Hawkins  was  made  an  earl,'  said  Charles,  speak- 
ing of  some  London  acquaintance. 

'  What  for  ? '  asked  the  Senator. 

'Successful  adulteration,'  said  t'le  poet  tartly. 

^  Honours  are  easy,'  the  magazine  editor  put  in. 

*  And   two  by   tricks   to   Sir   Charles,'  the   poet 
added. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  evening,  however — th 
poet  still  remaining  moody,  not  to  say  positively 
grumpy — Senator  Wrengold  proposed  a  friendly 
game  of  Swedish  poker.  It  was  the  latest  fashion- 
able variant  in  Western  society  on  the  old  gambling 
round,  and  few  of  us  knew  it,  save  the  omniscient 
poet  and  the  magazine  editor.  It  turned  out  after- 
wards that  Wrengold  proposed  that  particular  game 
because  he  had  heard  Coleyard  observe  at  the  Lotus 
Club  the  same  afternoon  that  it  was  a  favourite 
amusement  of  his.  Now,  however,  for  a  while  he 
objected  to  playing.  He  was  a  poor  man,  he  said, 
and  the  rest  were  all  rich ;  why  should  he  throw 
away  the  value  of  a  dozen  golden  sonnets  just  to 
add  one  more  pinnacle  to  the  gilded  roofs  of  a 
millionaire's  palace  ?  Besides,  he  was  half-way 
through  with  an  ode  he  was  inditing  to  Republican 
simplicity.  The  pristine  austerity  of  a  democratic 
senatorial  cottage  had  naturally  inspired  him  with 
memories   of  Dentatus,   the   Fabii,  Camillus.       But 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GAME  OF  POKER 


255 


Once 

e  out 

ipeak- 


y- 

t  in. 
J   poet 

r — th- 
sitively 
riendly 
ashion- 
imbling 
niscient 
t  after- 
game 
e  Lotus 
avourite 
/hile  he 
nc  said, 
throw 

just  to 
)fs  of  a 
half-way 

publican 
imocratic 
lim  with 
But 


e 


IS. 


Wrengold,  dimly  aware  he  was  being  made  f. 
of  somehow,  insisted  that  the  poet  must  take  a 
hand  with  the  financiers.  *  You  can  pass,  you 
know,'  he  said,  '  as  often  as  you  like  ;  and  you  can 
stake  low,  or  go  it  blind,  according  as  you're  inclined 
to.  It's  a  democratic  game  ;  every  man  decides  for 
himself  how  high  he  will  play,  except  the  banker  ; 
and  you  needn't  take  bank  unless  you  want  it' 

*  Oh,  if  you  insist  upon  i  Colcyard  drawled  out, 
with  languid  reluctance,  *  \\\  lay,  of  course.  I 
won't  spoil  your  evening.  Liw  remember,  I'm  a 
poet;   I  have  strange  in.^<i/ai.  )ns.' 

The  cards  were  *  squf.ezcis ' — that  is  to  say,  had 
the  suit  and   the   nurr  .T  pips   in    each  printed 

small  in  the  corner,  as  well  as  over  the  face,  for 
ease  of  reference.  We  played  low  at  first.  The 
poet  seldom  staked ;  and  when  he  did  —  a  few 
pounds  —  he  lost,  with  singular  persistence.  He 
wanted  to  play  for  doubloons  or  sequins,  and  could 
with  diflficulty  be  induced  to  condescend  to  dollars. 
Charles  looked  across  at  him  at  last ;  the  stakes  by 
that  time  were  fast ''rising  higher,  and  we  played  for 
ready  money.  Notes  lay  thick  on  the  green  cloth. 
'  Well,'  he  murmured  provokingly,  *  bow  about  your 
inspiration  ?     Has  Apollo  deserted  you  ? ' 

It  was  an  unwonted  flight  of  classical  allusion 
for  Charles,  and  I  confess  it  astonished  me.  (I 
discovered  afterwards  he  had  cribbed  it  from  a 
review  in  that  evening's  Critic.)  But  the  poet 
smiled. 


»S6 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


*  No,*  he  answered  calmly,  '  I  am  waiting  for  one 
now.  When  it  comes,  you  may  be  sure  you  shall 
have  the  benefit  of  it.* 

Next  round,  Charles  dealing  and  banking,  the 
poet  staked  on  his  card,  unseen  as  usual.  He 
staked  like  a  gentleman.  To  our  immense  astonish- 
ment he  pulled  out  a  roll  of  notes,  and  remarked, 
in  a  quiet  tone,  *  I  have  an  inspiration  now.  Ha//- 
hearted  will  do.  I  go  five  thousand.'  That  was 
dollars,  of  course  ;  but  it  amounted  to  a  thousand 
pounds  in  English  money — high  play  for  an  author. 

Charles  smiled  and  turned  his  card.  The  poet 
turned  his — and  won  a  thousand. 

'  Good  shot ! '  Charles  murmured,  pretending  not 
to  mind,  though  he  detests  losing. 

'  Inspiration  ! '  the  poet  mused,  and  looked  once 
more  abstracted. 

Charles  dealt  again.  The  poet  watched  the  deal 
with  boiled-fishy  eyes.  His  thoughts  were  far  away. 
His  lips  moved  audibly.  '  Myrtle^  and  kirtle^  and 
hurtle,  he  muttered.  'They'll  do  for  three.  Then 
there's  turtle^  meaning  dove  ;  and  that  finishes  the 
possible.  Laurel  and  coral  make  a  very  bad  rhyme. 
Try  myrtle ;  don't  you  think  so?* 

*  Do  you  stake  ?  *  Charles  asked,  severely,  in- 
terrupting his  reverie. 

The  poet  started.     '  No,  pass,*  he  replied,  looking 
^down  at  his  card,  and  subsided  into  muttering.     We 
caught  a  tremor  of  his  lips  again,  and  heard  some- 
thing like  this  :    '  Not  less  but  more  republican  than 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GAME  OF  POKER 


257 


thou,  Half-hearted  watcher  by  the  Western  sea,  After 
long  years  I  come  to  visit  thee,  And  test  thy  fealty 
to  that  maiden  vow.  That  bound  thee  in  thy  budding 
prime  For  Freedom's  bride ' 

*  Stake  ? '  Charles  interrupted,  inquiringly,  again. 

'  Yes,  five  thousand,'  the  poet  answered  dreamily, 
pushing  forward  his  pile  of  notes,  and  never  ceasing 
from  his  murmur :  '  For  Freedom's  bride  to  all 
succeeding  time.  Succeeding;  succeeding ;  weak 
word,  succeeding.  Couldn't  go  five  dollars  on 
it' 

Charles  turned  his  card  once  more.  The  poet 
had  won  again.  Charles  passed  over  his  notes. 
The  poet  raked  them  in  with  a  far-away  air,  as  one 
who  looks  at  infinity,  and  asked  if  he  could  borrow 
a  pencil  and  paper.  He  had  a  few  priceless  lines  to 
set  down  which  might  otherwise  escape  him. 

'  This  is  play/  Charles  said  pointedly.  '  Will  you 
kindly  attend  to  one  thing  or  the  other  ? ' 

The  poet  glanced  at  him  with  a  compassionate 
smile.  '  I  told  you  I  had  inspirations,'  he  said. 
'  They  always  come  together.  I  can't  win  your 
money  as  fast  as  I  would  like,  unless  at  the  same 
time  I  am  making  verses.  Whenever  I  hit  upon  a 
good  epithet,  I  back  my  luck,  don't  you  see  ?  I 
won  a  thousand  on  Half-hearted,  and  a  thousand  on 
budding ;  if  I  were  to  back  succeeding,  I  should  lose, 
to  a  certainty.      You  understand  my  system  ?  ' 

*  I  call  it  pure  rubbish,'  Charles  answered.  '  How- 
ever, continue.      Systems  were  made  for  fools  -and 

S 


«S8 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


to  suit  wise  men.      Sooner  or  later  you  must  lose  at 
such  a  stupid  fancy.' 

The  poet  continued,  '  For  Freedom's  bride  to 
all  ensuing  tinne.' 

•  Stake  I '  Charles  cried  sharply.  We  each  of  us 
staked. 

'  Ensuing*,  the  poet  murmured.  '  To  all  ensuing 
time.  First-rate  epithet  that.  I  go  ten  thousand, 
Sir  Charles,  on  ensuing! 

We  all  turned  up.  Some  of  us  lost,  some 
won  ;  but  the  poet  had  secured  his  two  thousand 
sterling. 

'  I  haven't  that  amount  about  me,'  Charles  said, 
in  that  austerely  nettled  voice  which  he  always 
assumes  when  he  loses  at  cards  ;  *  but — I'll  settle  it 
with  you  to-morrow.' 

'  Another  round  ? '  the  host  asked,  beaming. 

'  No,  thank  you,'  Charles  answered;  'Mr.  Coleyard's 
inspirations  come  too  pat  for  my  taste.  His  luck 
beats  mine.     I  retire  from  the  game.  Senator.' 

Just  at  that  moment  a  servant  entered,  bearing  a 
salver,  with  a  small  note  in  an  envelope.  '  For  Mr. 
Coleyard,'  he  observed  ;  '  and  the  messenger  said, 
urgent! 

Coleyard  tore  it  open  hurriedly.  I  could  see  he 
was  agitated.      His  face  grew  white  at  once. 

*  I — I  beg  your  pardon,'  he  said.  *  I — I  must  go 
back  instantly.  My  wife  is  dangerously  ill — quite  a 
sudden  attack.  Forgive  me,  Senator.  Sir  Charles, 
you  shall  have  your  revenge  to-morrow.' 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GAME  Ol-    I'OKER 


259 


It  was  clear  that  his  voice  faltcretl.  We  felt  at 
least  he  was  a  man  of  feeling.  He  was  obviously 
frightened.  His  coolness  forsook  him.  He  shook 
hands  as  in  a  dream,  and  rushed  downstairs  for  his 
dust-coat.  Almost  as  he  closed  the  front  door,  a 
new  guest  entered,  just  missing  him  in  the  vestibule. 


WE    BURST   DOWN    THE   STAIRS    IN    A    BODY. 


'  Halloa,  you  men,'  he  said,  '  we've  been  taken  in, 
do  you  know  ?  It's  all  over  the  Lotus.  The  man 
we  made  an  honorary  member  of  the  club  to-day  is 
not  Algernon  Coleyard.  He'a  a  bl-itant  impostor. 
There's  a  telegram  come  m  on  the  tape  to-night 
saying  Algernon  Coleyard  i  ■  dangerous'y  ill  at  his 
home  in  England.' 


u 


1 

4 


I: 


|l!. 


i  \ 


260 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


Charles  gasped  a  violent  gasp.  '  Colonel  Clay  ! ' 
he  shouted,  aloud.  'And  once  more  he's  done  me. 
There's  not  a  moment  to  lose.  After  him,  gentle- 
men I  after  him ! ' 

Never  before  in  our  lives  had  we  had  such  a 
close  shave  of  catching  and  fixing  the  redoubtable 
swindler.  We  burst  down  the  stairs  in  a  body,  and 
rushed  out  into  Fifth  Avenue.  The  pretended  poet 
had  only  a  hundred  yards'  start  of  us,  and  he  saw 
he  was  discovered.  But  he  was  an  excellent  runner. 
So  was  I,  weight  for  age  ;  and  I  dashed  wildly  after 
him.  He  turned  round  a  corner ;  it  proved  to  lead 
nowhere,  and  lost  him  time.  He  darted  back  again, 
madly.  Delighted  with  the  idea  that  I  was  capturing 
so  famous  a  criminal,  I  redoubled  my  efforts — and 
came  up  with  him,  panting.  He  was  wearing  a 
light  dust-coat.  I  seized  it  in  my  hands.  '  I've  got 
you  at  last ! '  I  cried ;  '  Colonel  Clay,  I've  got 
you !' 

He  turned  and  looked  at  me.  *  Ha,  old  Ten  Per 
Cent ! '  he  called  out,  struggling.  '  It's  you,  then,  is 
it  ?  Never,  never  to  you,  sir  ! '  And  as  he  spoke, 
he  somehow  flung  his  arms  straight  out  behind  him, 
and  let  the  dust-coat  slip  off,  which  it  easily  did,  the 
sleeves  being  new  and  smoothly  silk -lined.  The 
suddenness  of  the  movement  threw  me  completely 
off  my  guard,  and  off  my  legs  as  well.  I  was 
clinging  to  the  coat  and  holding  him.  As  the 
support  gave  way  I  rolled  over  backward,  in  the 
mud  of  the  street,  and  hurt  my  back  seriously.     As 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GAME  OF  POKER  261 


for  Colonel  Clay,  with  a  nervous  laugh,  he  bolted  off 
at  full  speed  in  his  evening  coat,  and  vanished  round 
a  corner. 

It   was  some  seconds  before   I    had    sufficiently 


recovered  my  breath  to  pick 
myself  up  again,  and  ex- 
amine my  bruises.  }]y  this 
time  Charles  and  the  other 
pursuers  had  come  up,  and 
I  explained  my  condition  to  them.  Instead  of 
commending  me  for  rny  zeal  in  his  cause — which 
had  cost  -me  a  barked  arm  and  a  good  evening  suit 
— my   brother-in-law    rcuiarkcd,  with    an    unfeeling 


«'l 


^»**«»liai»*i,-:--. 


262 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


sneer,  that  when  I  had  so  nearly  caught  my  man 
I  might  as  well  have  held  him. 

*  I  have  his  coat,  at  least,'  I  said.  *  That  may 
afford  us  a  clue.'  And  I  limped  back  with  it  in  my 
hands,  feeling  horribly  bruised  and  a  good  deal 
shaken. 

When  we  came  to  examine  the  coat,  however, 
it  bore  no  maker's  name  ;  the  strap  at  the  back, 
where  the  tailor  proclaims  with  pride  his  handicraft, 
had  been  carefully  ripped  off,  and  its  place  was 
taken  by  a  tag  of  plain  black  tape  without  inscription 
of  any  sort.  We  searched  the  breast-pocket.  A 
handkerchief,  similarly  nameless,  but  of  finest 
cambric.  The  side-pockets — ha,  what  was  this  ?  I 
drew  a  piece  of  paper  out  in  triumph.  It  was  a 
note — a  real  find — the  one  which  the  servant  had 
handed  to  our  friend  just  before  at  the  Senator's. 

We  read  it  through  breathlessly  : — 

'  Darling  Paul, — I  told  you  it  was  too  danger- 
ous. You  should  have  listened  to  me.  You  ought 
never  to  have  imitated  any  real  person.  I  happened 
to  glance  at  the  hotel  tape  just  now,  to  see  the 
quotations  for  Cloetedorps  to-day,  and  what  do  you 
think  I  read  as  part  of  the  latest  telegram  from 
England  ?  "  Mr.  Algernon  Coleyard,  the  famous 
poet,  is  lying  on  his  death-bed  at  his  home  in 
Devonshire."  By  this  time  all  New  York  knows. 
Don't  stop  one  minute.  Say  I'm  dangerously  ill, 
and  come  away  at  once.      Don't  return  to  the  hotel, 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GAME  OF  POKER 


263 


I  am   removing  our  things.     Meet    me   at    Mary's. 
Your  devoted,  Margot.' 


♦'I 


*  This  is  very  important,'  Charles  said.  '  This 
does  give  us  a  clue.  We  know  two  things  now : 
his  real  name  is  Paul — whatever  else  it  may  be,  and 
Madame  Picardet's  is  Margot' 

I  searched  the  pocket  again,  and  pulled  out  a 
ring.  Evidently  he  had  thrust  these  two  things 
there  when  he  saw  me  pursuing  him,  and  had 
forgotten  or  neglected  them  in  the  heat  of,  the  mei^e. 

I  looked  at  it  close.  It  was  the  very  ring  I  had 
noticed  on  his  finger  while  he  was  playing  Swedish 
poker.  It  had  a  large  compound  gem  in  the  centre, 
set  with  many  facets,  and  rising  like  a  pyramid  to  a 
point  in  the  middle.  There  were  eight  faces  in  all, 
some  of  them  composed  of  emerald,  amethyst,  or 
turquoise.  But  one  face — the  one  that  turned  at  a 
direct  angle  towards  the  wearer's  eye — was  not  a 
gem  at  all,  but  an  extremely  tiny  convex  mirror. 
In  a  moment  I  spotted  the  trick.  He  held  this 
hand  carelessly  on  the  table  while  my  brother-in-law 
dealt ;  and  when  he  saw  that  the  suit  and  number 
of  his  own  card  mirrored  in  it  by  means  of  the 
squeezers  were  better  than  Charles's,  he  had  '  an 
inspiration,'  and  backed  his  luck — or  rather  his 
knowledge — with  perfect  confidence.  I  did  not 
doubt,  either,  that  his  odd -looking  eyeglass  was  a 
powerful  magnifier  which  helped  him  in  the  trick. 
Still,  we  tried  another  deal,  by  way  of  experiment — 


f  1 
I  i 


H- 


I 


a64 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


I  wearing  the  ring  ;  and  even  with  the  naked  eye  I 
was  able  to  distinguish  in  every  case  the  suit  and 
pips  of  the  card  that  was  dealt  me. 

'  Why,  that  was  almost  dishonest,'  the  Senator 
said,  drawing  back.  He  wished  to  show  us  that 
even  far -Western  speculators  drew  a  line  some- 
where. 

*Yes,'  the  magazine  editor  echoed.  'To  back 
your  skill  is  legal  ;  to  back  your  luck  is  foolish  ;  to 
back  your  knowledge  is ' 

'  ImmoraV  I  suggested. 

'Very  good  business,'  said  thv."  -jagazine  editor. 

•  It's  a  simple  trick,'  Chai liS  interposed.  '  I 
should  have  spotted  it  if  it  had  been  done  by  any 
other  fellow.  But  his  patttr:  ibout  inspiration  put 
me  clean  off  the  trac':.  Thaih  the  rascal's  dodge. 
He  plays  the  regular  conjurer's  game  of  distracting 
ycjr  attention  from  the  i^al  point  at  issue — so  well 
that  you.  lu-  'er  find  out  v/hat  he's  really  about  till 
he's  ^qI<^  yoLi  irretrievably.* 

We  set  the  New  York  police  upon  the  trail  of 
the  Colonel ;  but  of  course  he  had  vanished  at  once, 
as  usual,  into  the  thin  smoke  of  Manhattan.  Not  a 
sign  could  we  find  of  him.  '  Mary's,'  we  found  an 
insufficient  address. 

We  waited  on  in  New  York  for  a  whole  fort- 
night. Nothing  came  of  it.  We  never  found 
'  Mary's.'  The  only  token  of  Colonel  Clay's  presence 
vouchsafed  us  in  the  city  was  one  of  his  customary 
insulting  notes.      It  was  conceived  as  follows : — 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  GAME  OF  POKER 


265 


ed  eye  I 
suit  and 

Senator 

us  that 

le    some- 

To  back 
lolish  ;  to 


:  editor. 
»sed.  '  I 
le  by  any 
ation  put 
I's  dodge, 
listracting 
; — so  well 
about  till 

le  trail  of 

:d  at  once, 

n.     Not  a 

found  an 

vhole  fort- 

ver    found 

■'s  presence 

customary 

iws : — 


•  O  Eternal  Gullible  ! — Since  I  saw  you  on 
Lake  George,  I  have  run  back  to  London,  and 
promptly  come  out  again.  I  had  business  to 
transact  there,  indeed,  which  I  have  now  completed  ; 
the  excessive  attentions  of  the  English  police  sent 
me  once  more,  like  great  Orion,  '  sloping  slowly  to 
the  west.'  I  returned  to  America  in  order  to  see 
whether  or  not  you  were  still  impenitent.  On  the 
day  of  my  arrival  I  happened  to  meet  Senator 
Wrengold,  and  accepted  his  kind  invitation  solely 
that  I  might  see  how  far  my  last  communication 
had  had  a  proper  effect  upon  you.  As  I  found 
you  quite  obdurate,  and  as  you  furthermore  persisted 
in  misunderstanding  my  motives,  I  determined  to 
read  you  one  more  small  lesson.  It:  nearly  failed  ; 
and  I  confess  the  accident  has  affected  my  nerves  a 
little.  I  am  now  about  to  retire  from  business 
altogether,  and  settle  down  for  life  at  my  p.' ace  in 
Surrey.  I  mean  to  try  just  one  more  small  coup ; 
and,  when  that  is  finished,  Colonel  Clay  viii  hang 
up  his  sword,  like  Cincinnati!^,  and  take  to  farming. 
You  need  no  longer  fea'  le.  I  have  realised 
enough  to  secure  me  for  li  a  modest  competence; 
and  as  I  am  not  posses- <d  like  yourself  with  an 
immoderate  greed  of  ga n,  I  recognise  that  good 
citizenship  demands  of  now  an  early  retirement 
in  favour  of  some  younger  and  more  deserving 
rascal.  I  shall  always  look  back  with  pleasure  upon 
our  agreeable  adventures  together  ;  and  as  you  hold 
my   dust-coat,   together  with   a   ring   and   letter   to 


266 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


which  I  attach  importance,  I  consider  we  are  quits, 
and  I  shall  withdraw  with  dignity.  Your  sincere 
well-wisher,  Cuthbert  Clay,  Poet' 

*  Just  like  him ! '  Charles  said,  *  to  hold  this  one 
last  coup  over  my  head  in  terrorem.  Though  even 
when  he  has  played  it,  why  should  I  trust  his  word  ? 
A  scamp  like  that  may  say  it,  of  course,  on  purpose 
to  disarm  me.' 

For  my  own  part,  I  quite  agreed  with  '  Margot' 
When  the  Colonel  was  reduced  to  dressing  the  part 
of  a  known  personage  I  felt  he  had  reached  almost 
his  last  card,  and  would  be  well  advised  to  retire 
into  Surrey. 

But  the  magazine  editor  summed  up  all  in  a 
word.  '  Don't  believe  that  nonsense  about  fortunes 
being  made  by  industry  and  ability,'  he  said.  '  In 
life,  as  at  cards,  two  things  go  to  produce  success — 
the  first  is  chance ;  the  second  is  cheating.' 


I 


M 


J 


:  quits, 
sincere 


his  one 
rh  even 
s  word  ? 
purpose 

M  argot.' 
the  part 
i  almost 
to  retire 

all  in  a 

fortunes 

id.     '  In 

access — 


XI 


THE   EPISODE   OF   THE    BERTILLON    METHOD 

We  had  a  terrible  passage  home  from  New  York. 
The  Captain  told  us  he  *  knew  every  drop  of  water 
in  the  Atlantic  personally  * ;  and  he  had  never  seen 
them  so  uniformly  obstreperous.  The  ship  rolled  in 
the  trough  ;  Charles  rolled  in  his  cabin,  and  would 
not  be  comforted.  As  we  approached  the  Irish 
coast,  I  scrambled  up  on  deck  in  a  violent  gale,  and 
retired  again  somewhat  precipitately  to  announce 
to  my  brother-in-law  that  we  had  just  come  in  sight 
of  the  Fastnet  Rock  Lighthouse.  Charles  merely 
turned  over  in  his  berth  and  groaned.  *  I  don't 
believe  it,'  he  answered.  '  I  expect  it  is  probably 
Colonel  Clay  in  another  of  his  manifold  disguises  1  * 

At  Liverpool,  however,  the  Adelphi  consoled  him. 
We  dined  luxuriously  in  the  Louis  Quinze  restaurant, 
as  only  millionaires  can  dine,  and  proceeded  next 
day  by  Pullman  car  to  London. 

We  found  Amelia  dissolved  in  tears  at  a  domestic 
cataclysm.  It  seemed  that  C^sarine  had  given 
notice. 

Charles  was  scarcely  home  again  when  he  began 


1 

»; 

m'    ' 

^ 

268 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


to  bethink  him  of  the  least  among  his  investments. 
Like  many  other  wealthy  men,  my  respected  con- 
nection is  troubled  more  or  less,  in  the  background 
•of  his  consciousness,  by  a  pervading  dread  that  he 
will  die  a  beggar.  To  guard  against  this  misfortune 
— which  I  am  bound  to  admit  nobody  else  fears  for 
him — he  invested,  several  years  ago,  a  sum  of  two 
hundred  thousand  pounds  in  Consols,  to  serve  as  a 
nest-egg  in  case  of  the  collapse  of  Golcondas  and 
South  Africa  generally.  It  is  part  of  the  same 
amiable  mania,  too,  that  he  will  not  allow  the 
dividend-warrants  on  this  sum  to  be  sent  to  him  by 
post,  but  insists,  after  the  fashion  of  old  ladies  and 
country  parsons,  upon  calling  personally  at  the  Bank 
of  England  four  times  a  year  to  claim  his  interest. 
He  is  well  known  by  sight  to  not  a  few  of  the  clerks  ; 
and  his  appearance  in  Threadnecdle  Street  is  looked 
forward  to  with  great  regularity  within  a  few  weeks 
of  each  lawful  quarter-day. 

So,  on  the  morning  after  our  arrival  in  town, 
Charles  observed  to  me,  cheerfully,  '  Sey,  1  must  run 
into  the  City  to-day  to  claim  my  dividends.  There 
are  two  quarters  owing.' 

I  accompanied  him  in  to  the  Bank.  Even  that 
mighty  official,  the  beadle  at  the  door,  unfastened  the 
handle  of  the  millionaire's  carriage.  The  clerk  who 
received  us  smiled  and  nodded.  *  How  much  ?  '  he 
asked,  after  the  stereotyped  fashion. 

*  Two  hundred  thousand,'  Charles  answered, 
looking  affable. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  BERTILLON  METHOD       269 


The  clerk  turned  up  the  books.      '  Paid  ! '   he  said, 
with  decision.     '  What's  your  game,  sir,  if  I  may  ask 

you  ?' 

^'\f:ii""'''!;'!il!'f^'^^lly'..r- 


snow    MK    TIIK    SICNATURE. 

'  Paid  ! '  Charles  echoed,  draw- 
ing back. 

The  clerk  gazed  across  at  him. 
'  Ves,  Sir  Charles,'  he  answered,  in  a 
somewhat  severe  tone.  '  You  must 
remember  you  drew  a  quarter's 
dividend  from  myself — last  week 
— at  this  very  counter.' 

Charles  stared  at  him  fixedly. 
'  Show  me  the  signature,'  he  saitl  at  last,  in  a  sloWj 
dazed  fashion.      I  suspected  mischief 

The  clerk  pushed  the  book  across  to  him.      Charles 
examined  the  name  close. 


270 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


/  '  Colonel  Clay  again  I  *  he  cried,  turning  to  me 
with  a  despondent  air.  *  He  must  have  dressed  the 
part.  I  shall  die  in  the  workhouse,  Sey !  That 
man  has  stolen  away  even  my  nest-egg  from  me.' 

I  saw  it  at  a  glance.  '  Mrs.  Quackenboss ! '  I 
put  in,  '  Those  portraits  on  the  Etruria  !  It  was 
to  help  him  in  his  make-up !  You  recollect,  she 
sketched  your  face  and  figure  at  all  possible  angles.' 

*  And  last  quarter's  ? '  Charles  inquired,  staggering. 

The  clerk  turned  up  the  entry.  '  Drawn  on  the 
1 0th  of  July,'  he  answered,  carelessly,  as  if  it 
mattered  nothing. 

Then  I  knew  why  the  Colonel  had  run  across  to 
England. 

Charles  positively  reeled.  '  Take  me  home,  Sey,' 
he  cried.  '  I  am  ruined,  ruined  !  He  will  leave  me 
with  not  half  a  million  in  the  world.  My  poor,  poor 
boys  will  beg  their  bread,  unheeded,  through  the 
streets  of  London  ! ' 

(As  Amelia  has  landed  estate  settled  upon  her 
worth  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  pounds,  this 
last  contingency  affected  me  less  to  tears  than  Charles 
seemed  to  think  necessary.) 

We  made  all  needful  inquiries,  and  put  the  police 
upon  the  quest  at  once,  as  always.  But  no  redress 
was  forthcoming.  The  money,  once  paid,  could  not 
be  recovered.  %  It  is  a  playful  little  privilege  of 
Consols  that  the  Government  declines  under  any 
circumstances  to  pay  twice  over,  Charles  drove 
back  to  Mayfair  a  crushed  and  broken  man.     I  think 


i  i 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  BERTILLON  METHOD      271 


if  Colonel  Clay  himself  could  have  seen  him  just  then, 
he  would  have  pitied  that  vast  intellect  in  its  grief 
and  bewilderment. 

After  lunch,  however,  my  brother-in-law's  natural 
buoyancy  reasserted  itself  by  degrees.  He  rallied  a 
little.  '  Seymour,'  he  said  to  me,  '  you've  heard,  of 
course,  of  the  Bcrtillon  system  of  measuring  and 
registering  criminals.' 

*  1  have,'  I  answered.  '  And  it's  excellent  as  far 
as  it  goes.  But,  like  Mrs.  Glasse's  jugged  hare,  it 
all  depends  upon  the  initial  step.  "  First  catch  your 
criminal."  Now,  we  have  never  caught  Colonel 
Clay ' 

*  Or,  rather,'  Charles  interposed  unkindly,  '  when 
you  did  catch  him,  you  didn't  hold  him.' 

I  ignored  the  unkindly  suggestion,  and  continued 
in  the  same  voice,  '  We  have  never  secured  Colonel 
Clay  ;  and  until  we  secure  him,  we  cannot  register 
him  by  the  Bertillon  method.  Besides,  even  if  we 
had  once  caught  him  and  duly  noted  the  shape  of 
his  nose,  his  chin,  his  ears,  his  forehead,  of  what  use 
would  that  be  against  a  man  who  turns  up  with  a 
fresh  face  each  time,  and  can  mould  his  features  into 
what  form  he  likes,  to  deceive  and  foil  us  ? ' 

'  Never  mind,  Sey,'  my  brother-in-law  said.  *  I 
was  told  in  New  York  that  Dr.  Frank  Beddersley,  of 
London,  was  the  best  exponent  of  the  Bertillon 
system  now  living  in  England  ;  and  to  Beddersley 
I  shall  go.  Or,  rather,  I'll  invite  him  here  to  lunch 
to-morrow.' 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


11.25 


95 

J 


LAIZS     17 

■so    ^^~       Mm. 


Ul      Itt 

US 

US 

u 


140 


I 


2.0 


^  IllllJi^ 


Photographic 

Sdences 
Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STRiiT 

WnSTM.N.Y.  14SS0 

(716)872-4S03 


A 


\ 


\ 


\ 


<-*i^ 


<^.*<i 


■<» 


•^. 


\ 


^9 


%> 


O 


\ 


"i 


s^s 


saai 


272 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


'Who  told  you  of  him?*  I  inquired.  * Nof 
Dr.  Quackenboss,  I  hope ;  nor  yet  Mr.  Algernon 
Coleyard  ? ' 

Charles  paused  and  reflected.  '  No,  neither  of 
them,'  he  answered,  after  a  short  internal  delibera- 
tion. '  It  was  that  magazine  editor  chap  we  met  at 
Wrengold's.' 

*  He's  all  right,'  I  said  ;  '  or,  at  least,  I  think  so.' 

So  we  wrote  a  polite  invitation  to  Dr.  Beddersley, 
who  pursued  the  method  professionally,  asking  him 
to  come  and  lunch  with  us  at  Mayfair  at  two  next 
day. 

Dr.  Beddersley  came — a  dapper  little  man,  with 
pent-house  eyebrows,  and  keen,  small  eyes,  whom  I 
suspected  at  sight  of  being  Colonel  Clay  himself  in 
another  of  his  clever  polymorphic  embodiments.  He 
was  clear  and  concise.  His  manner  was  scientific. 
He  told  us  at  once  that  though  the  Bertillon  method 
was  of  little  use  till  the  expert  had  seen  the  criminal 
once,  yet  if  we  had  consulted  him  earlier  he  might 
probably  have  saved  us  some  serious  disasters.  '  A 
man  so  ingenious  as  this,'  he  said,  '  would  no  doubt 
have  studied  Bertillon's  principles  himself,  and  would 
take  every  possible  means  to  prevent  recognition  by 
them.  Therefore,  you  might  almost  disregard  the 
nose,  the  chin,  the  moustache,  the  hair,  all  of  which 
are  capable  of  such  easy  alteration.  But  there 
remain  some  features  which  are  more  likely  to  persist 
— height,  shape  of  head,  neck,  build,  and  fingers  ; 
the  timbre  of  the  voice,  the  ^^lour  of  the  iris.     Even 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  BERTILLON  METHOD      273 


these,  again,  may  be  partially  disguised  or  concealed  ; 
the  way  the  hair  is  dressed,  the  amount  of  padding, 
a  high  collar  round  the  throat,  a  dark  line  about  the 
eyelashes,  may  do  more  to  alter  the  appearance  of  a 
face  than  you  could  readily  credit.* 

*  So  we  know,'  I  answered. 

*  The  voice,  again,'  Dr.  Beddersley  continued. 
'  The  voice  itself  may  be  most  fallacious.  The  man 
is  no  doubt  a  clever  mimic.  He  could,  perhaps,  com- 
press or  enlarge  his  larynx.  And  I  judge  from  what 
you  tell  me  that  he  took  characters  each  time  which 
compelled  him  largely  to  alter  and  modify  his  tone 
and  accent' 

*  Yes,'  I  said.  *  As  the  Mexican  Seer,  he  had  of 
course  a  Spanish  intonation.  As  the  little  curate, 
he  was  a  cultivated  North-countryman.  As  David 
Granton,  he  spoke  gentlemanly  Scotch.  As  Von 
Lebenstein,  naturally,  he  was  a  South-German,  try- 
ing to  express  himself  in  French.  As  Professor 
Schleiermacher,  he  was  a  North-German  speaking 
broken  English.  As  Elihu  Quackenboss,  he  had  a 
fine  and  pronounced  Kentucky  flavour.  And  as 
the  poet,  he  drawled  after  the  fashion  of  the  clubs, 
with  lingering  remnants  of  a  Devonshire  ancestry.' 

'Quite  so,'  Dr.  Beddersley  answered.  'That  is 
just  what  I  should  expect.  Now,  the  question  is, 
do  you  know  him  to  be  one  man,  or  is  he  really  a 
gang  ?  Is  he  a  name  for  a  syndicate  ?  Have  you 
any  photographs  of  Colonel  Clay  himself  in  any  of 
his  disguises  ? ' 


i  M 


1 


/ 


1 1  i 


M! 


274 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


*  Not    one,'    Charles    answered.       *  He    produced 
some  himself,  when  he  was  Medhurst  the  detective. 


DR.    BEDDERSLEY. 


But  he  pocketed  them  at  once  ;  and  we  never  re- 
covered them.' 

'  Could  you  get  any  ? '  the  doctor  asked.     '  Did 
you  note  the  name  and  address  of  the  photographer  ? ' 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  BERTILLON  METHOD      275 


'  Unfortunately,  no/  Charles  replied.  '  But  the 
police  at  Nice  showed  us  two.  Perhaps  we  might 
borrow  them.' 

'  Until  we  get  them,'  Dr.  Beddersley  said,  *  I 
don't  know  that  we  can  do  anything.  But  if  you 
can  once  give  me  two  distinct  photographs  of 
the  real  man,  no  matter  how  much  disguised,  I 
could  tell  you  whether  they  were  taken  from  one 
person ;  and,  if  so,  I  think  I  could  point  out 
certain  details  in  common  which  might  aid  us  to 
go  upon.' 

All  this  was  at  lunch.  Amelia's  niece,  Dolly 
Lingfield,  was  there,  as  it  happened  ;  and  I  chanced 
to  note  a  most  guilty  look  stealing  over  her  face  all 
the  while  we  were  talking.  Suspicious  as  I  had 
learned  to  become  by  this  time,  however,  I  did  not 
suspect  Dolly  of  being  in  league  with  Colonel  Clay  ; 
but,  I  confess,  I  wondered  what  her  blush  could 
indicate.  After  lunch,  to  my  surprise,  Dolly  called 
me  away  from  the  rest  into  the  library.  *  Uncle 
Seymour,'  she  said  to  me — the  dear  child  calls  me 
Uncle  Seymour,  though  of  course  I  am  not  in  any 
way  related  to  her — */  have  some  photographs  of 
Colonel  Clay,  if  you  want  them.' 

•  You?'  I  cried,  astonished.  'Why,  Dolly,  how 
did  you  get  them  ? ' 

For  a  minute  or  two"  she  showed  some  little 
hesitation  in  telling  me.  At  last  she  whispered, 
'  You  won't  be  angry  if  I  confess  ? '  (Dolly  is  just 
nineteen,  and  remarkably  pretty.) 


5  ■  I 


il 


276 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


iia   1^ 


ill    !l 


'  My  child,'  I  said,  *  why  should  I  be  angry  ? 
You  may  confide  in  me  implicitly,'  (With  a  blush 
like  that,  who  on  earth  could  be  angry  with 
her?) 

'And  you  won't  tell  Aunt  Amelia  or  Aunt 
Isabel  ? '  she  inquired  somewhat  anxiously. 

'  Not  for  worlds,'  ^  answered.  (As  a  matter  of 
fact,  Amelia  and  Isabel  are  the  last  people  in  the 
world  to  whom  I  should  dream  of  confiding  anything 
that  Dolly  might  tell  me.) 

'  Well,  I  was  stopping  at  Seldon,  you  know,  when 
Mr.  David  Granton  was  there,'  Dolly  went  on  ; 
' — or,  rather,  when  that  scamp  pretended  he  was 
David  Granton  ;  and — and — you  won't  be  angry 
with  me,  will  you  ? — one  day  I  took  a  snap-shot 
with  my  kodak  at  him  and  Aunt  Amelia ! ' 

'  Why,  what  harm  was  there  in  that  ? '  I  asked, 
bewildered.  The  wildest  stretch  of  fancy  could 
hardly  conceive  that  the  Honourable  David  had 
been  flirting  with  Amelia. 

Dolly  coloured  still  more  deeply.  '  Oh,  you 
know  Bertie  Winslow?'  she  said.  'Well,  he's 
interested  in  photography — and — and  also  in  me. 
And  he's  invented  a  process,  which  isn't  of  the 
slightest  practical  use,  he  says  ;  but  its  peculiarity  is, 
that  it  reveals  textures.  At  least,  that's  what  Bertie 
calls  it  It  makes  things  come  out  so.  And  he 
gave  me  some  plates  of  his  own  for  my  kodak — 
half-a-dozen  or  more,  and — I  took  Aunt  Amelia 
with  them.' 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  BERTILLON  METHOD      277 


!  11 


ingry  ? 

blush 

^    with 

Aunt 

itter  of 

in  the 

nything 

w,  when 
ent  on  ; 
he  was 
e  angry 
nap-shot 

I  asked, 


could 
vid    had 


V 


3h,    you 
ell,    he's 
I   in    me. 
of   the 
iarity  is, 
at  Bertie 
And  he 
codak — 
Amelia 


'  I  still   fail  to  see,'  I   murmured,  looking  at  her 
comically. 

*  Oh,  Uncle  Seymour,'  Dolly  cried.     '  How  blind 


HOW   BLIND  YOU    MEN   ARE  I 

you  men   are !      If  Aunt  Amelia  knew    she  would 
never    forgive    me.       Why,    you    must    understand. 
The — the  rouge,  you  know,  and  the  pearl  powder  ! ' 
'  Oh,  it  comes  out,  then,  in  the  photograph  ? '     I 
inquired. 


a78 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


*  Comes  out  I  I  should  think  so !  It's  like  little 
black  spots  all  over  auntie's  face.  Such  a  guy  as 
she  looks  in  it  I ' 

'  And  Colonel  Clay  is  in  them  too  ? ' 

*  Yes ;  I  took  them  when  he  and  auntie  were 
talking  together,  without  either  of  them  noticing. 
And  Bertie  developed  them.  I've  three  of  David 
Granton.     Three  beauties  ;  most  successful.' 

'  Any  other  character  ? '  I  asked,  seeing  business 
ahead. 

Dolly  hung  back,  still  redder.  'Well,  the  rest 
are  with  Aunt  Isabel,'  she  answered,  after  a  struggle. 

*  My  dear  child,'  I  replied,  hiding  my  feelings  as 
a  husband,  '  I  will  be  brave.  I  will  bear  up  even 
against  that  last  misfortune  ! ' 

Dolly  looked  up  at  me  pleadingly.  '  It  was  here 
in  London,'  she  went  on  ;  '  — when  I  was  last  with 
auntie.  Medhurst  was  stopping  in  the  house  at  the 
time ;  and  I  took  him  twice,  tite-d-tite  with  Aunt 
Isabel!' 

'  Isabel  does  not  paint,'  I  murmured,  stoutly. 

Dolly  hung  back  again.  'No,  but — her  hairl* 
she  suggested,  in  a  faint  voice. 

'  Its  colour,'  I  admitted,  '  is  in  places  assisted  by 
a — well,  you  know,  a  restorer.' 

Dolly  broke  Into  a  mischievous  sly  smile.  '  Yes, 
it  is,'  she  continued.  '  And,  oh.  Uncle  Sey,  where 
the  restorer  has — er — restored  it,  you  know,  it  comes 
out  in  the  photograph  with  a  sort  of  brilliant 
iridescent  metallic  sheen  on  it  I ' 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  BERTILLON  METHOD      a79 


2  little 
guy  as 


B  were 

oticing. 

David 

msiness 

:he  rest 
itruggle. 
lings  as 
up  even 

vas  here 
ast  with 
;e  at  the 
th  Aunt 

tly. 
hairl' 

iisted  by 

•Yes, 

:y,  where 

it  comes 

brilliant 


'  Bring  them  down,  my  dear,'  I  said,  gently 
patting  her  head  with  my  hand.  In  the  interests 
of  justice,  I  thought  it  best  not  to  frighten  her. 

Dolly  brought  them  down.  They  seemed  to  me 
poor  things,  yet  well  worth  trying.  We  found  it 
possible,  on  further  confabulation,  by  the  simple  aid 
of  a  pair  of  scissors,  so  to  cut  each  in  two  that  all 
trace  of  Amelia  and  Isabel  was  obliterated.  Even 
so,  however,  I  judged  it  best  to  call  Charles  and 
Dr.  Beddersley  to  a  private  consultation  in  the  library 
with  Dolly,  and  not  to  submit  the  mutilated  photo- 
graphs to  public  inspection  by  their  joint  subjects. 
Here,  in  fact,  we  had  five  patchy  portraits  of  the 
redoubtable  Colonel,  taken  at  various  angles,  and  in 
chai'acteristic  unstudied  attitudes.  A  child  had  out- 
witted the  cleverest  sharper  in  Europe  1 

The  moment  Beddersley's  eye  fell  upon  them,  a 
curious  look  came  over  his  face.  '  Why,  these,'  he 
said,  'are  taken  on  Herbert  Winslow's  method,  Miss 
Lingfield.* 

'  Yes,'  Dolly  admitted  timidly.  *  They  are.  He's 
— a  friend  of  mine,  don't  you  know  ;  and — he  gave 
me  some  plates  that  just  fitted  my  camera.' 

Beddersley  gazed  at  them  steadily.  Then  he 
turned  to  Charles.  '  And  this  young  lady,'  he  said, 
'has  quite  unintentionally  and  unconsciously  suc- 
ceeded in  tracking  Colonel  Clay  to  earth  at  last. 
They  are  genuine  photographs  of  the  man — as  he  is 
— without  the  disguises  I ' 

'They  look  to  me  most  blotchy/  Charles  mur- 


38o 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


mured.  '  Great  black  lines  down  the  nose,  and  such 
spots  on  the  cheek,  too ! ' 

'  Exactly,'  Beddersley  put  in.  '  Those  are  differ- 
ences in  texture.  They  show  just  how  much  of  the 
man's  face  is  human  flesh ' 

'  And  how  much  wax,'  I  ventured. 

'  Not  wax,'  the  expert  answered,  gazing  close. 
'  This  is  some  harder  mixture.  I  should  guess,  a 
composition  of  gutta-percha  and  india-rubber,  which 
takes  colour  well,  and  hardens  when  applied,  so  as 
to  lie  quite  evenly,  and  resist  heat  or  melting.  Look 
here  ;  that's  an  artificial  scar,  filling  up  a  real  hollow  ; 
and  this  is  an  added  bit  to  the  tip  of  the  nose  ;  and 
those  are  shadows,  due  to  inserted  cheek  -  pieces, 
within  the  mouth,  to  make  the  man  look  fatter ! ' 

'  Why,  of  course,'  Charles  cried.  *  India-rubber  it 
must  be.  That's  why  in  France  they  call  him  le 
Colonel  Caoutchouc  ! ' 

*  Can  you  reconstruct  the  real  face  from  them  ?  *  I 
inquired  anxiously. 

Dr.  Beddersley  gazed  hard  at  them.  '  Give  me 
an  hour  or  two,'  he  said — 'and  a  box  of  water- 
colours.  I  think  by  that  time — putting  two  and  two 
together — I  can  eliminate  the  false  and  build  up  for 
you  a  tolerably  correct  idea  of  what  the  actual  man 
himself  looks  like.' 

We  turned  him  into  the  library  for  a  couple  of 
hours,  with  the  materials  he  needed  ;  and  by  tea- 
time  he  had  completed  his  first  rough  sketch  of  the 
elements  common  to  the  two  faces.     He  brought  it 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  BERTILLON  METHOD      281 


id  such 

5  differ- 
of  the 


g  close, 
guess,  a 
;r,  which 
:d,  so  as 
.     Look 
hollow  ; 
ose  ;  and 
;k- pieces, 

tter  I ' 
-rubber  it 
11  him  le 

them?' I 

Give  me 
of  water- 
o  and  two 
lild  up  for 

tual  man 


d 


couple  of 
by  tea- 
ch of  the 
brought  it 


out  to  us  in  the  drawing-room.  I  glanced  at  it 
first  It  was  a  curious  countenance,  slightly  wanting 
in  definiteness,  and  not  unlike  those  '  composite 
photographs'  which  Mr.  Galton  produces  by  ex- 
posing two  negatives  on  the  same  sensitised  paper 
for  ten  seconds  or  so  consecutively.  Yet  it  struck 
me  at  once  as  containing  something  of  Colonel  Clay 
in  every  one  of  his  many  representations.  The  little 
curate,  in  real  life,  did  not  recall  the  Seer  ;  nor  did 
Elihu  Quackenboss  suggest  Count  von  Lebenstein 
or  Professor  Schleiermacher.  Yet  in  this  compound 
face,  produced  only  from  photographs  of  David 
Granton  and  Mcdhurst,!  could  distinctl>  trace  a  certain 
underlying  likeness  to  every  one  of  the  forms  which 
the  impostor  had  assumed  for  us.  In  other  words, 
though  he  could  make  up  so  as  to  mask  the  likeness 
to  his  other  characters,  he  could  not  make  up  so  as 
to  mask  the  likeness  to  his  own  personality.  He 
could  not  wholly  get  rid  of  his  native  build  and  his 
genuine  features. 

Besides  these  striking  suggestions  of  the  Seer  and 
the  curate,  however,  I  felt  vaguely  conscious  of  having 
seen  and  observed  the  man  himself  whom  the  water- 
colour  represented,  at  some  time,  somewhere.  It 
was  not  at  Nice  ;  it  was  not  at  Seldon  ;  it  was  not  at 
Meran  ;  it  was  not  in  America.  I  believed  I  had 
been  in  a  room  with  him  somewhere  in  London. 

Charles  was  looking  over  my  shoulder.  He  gave 
a  sudden  little  start.  '  Why,  I  know  that  fellow  ! ' 
he  cried.     *  You    recollect   him,  Sey ;    he's   Fingle- 


1 


aSa 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


more's  brother — the  chap  that  didn't  go  out  to 
China!' 

Then  I  remembered  at  once  where  it  was  that  I 
had  seen  him — at  the  broker's  in  the  city,  before  we 
sailed  for  America. 

'What  Christian  name?'  I  asked. 

Charles  reflected  a  moment.  '  The  same  as  the 
one  in  the  note  we  got  with  the  dust-coat,'  he 
answered,  at  last.     '  The  man  is  Paul  Finglemore  I ' 

'  You  will  arrest  him  ? '  I  asked. 

'  Can  I,  on  this  evidence  ? ' 

'  We  might  bring  it  home  to  him.* 

Charles  mused  for  a  moment.  '  We  shall  have 
nothing  against  him,'  he  said  slowly,  '  except  in  so 
far  as  we  can  swear  to  his  identity.  And  that  may 
be  difficult.' 

Just  at  that  moment  the  footman  brought  in  tea. 
Charles  wondered  apparently  whether  the  man,  who 
had  been  with  us  at  Seldon  when  Colonel  Clay  was 
David  Granton,  would  recollect  the  face  or  recognise 
having  seen  it  '  Look  here,  Dudley,'  he  said,  holding 
up  the  water-colour,  '  do  you  know  that  person  ?  * 

Dudley  gazed  at  it  a  moment.  •  '  Certainly,  sir,' 
he  answered  briskly. 

*  Who  is  it  ? '  Amelia  asked.  We  expected  him 
to  answer,  '  Count  von  Lebenstein,'  or  *  Mr.  Granton,' 
or  '  Medhurst* 

Instead  of  that,  he  replied,  to  our  utter  surprise, 
•  That's  C^sarine's  young  man,  my  lady.' 

'  C^arine's  young  man  ? '  Amelia  repeated,  taken 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  BERTILLON  METHOD      283 


out  to 

that  I 
fore  we 


e  as  the 
oat;  he 
more  1 ' 


lall  have 
;pt  in  so 
that  may 

ht  in  tea. 
nan,  who 
Clay  was 
recognise 
,  holding 
rson  ?  * 
ainly,  sir,' 

ected  him 
Granton,' 


aback.      '  Oh,   Dudley,    surely,   you    must   be    mis- 
taken 1' 

*  No,  my  lady,'  Dudley  replied,  in  a  tone  of 
conviction.  '  He  comes  to  see  her  quite  reg'lar  ;  he 
have  come  to  see  her,  off  and  on,  from  time  to  time, 
ever  since  I've  been  in  Sir  Charles's  service.' 

'  When  will  he  be  coming  again  ? '  Charles  asked, 
breathless. 

*  He's  downstairs  now,  sir,*  Dudley  answered, 
unaware  of  the  bombshell  he  was  flinging  into  the 
midst  of  a  respectable  family. 

Charles  rose  excitedly,  and  put  his  back  against 
the  door.  '  Secure  that  man,'  he  said  to  me  sharply, 
pointing  with  his  finger. 

'  What  man  ? '  I  asked,  amazed.  '  Colonel  Clay  ? 
The  young  man  who's  downstairs  now  with  C^sarine  ? ' 

'  No,'  Charles  answered,  with  decision  ;  '  Dudley  1 ' 

I  laid  my  hand  on  the  footman's  shoulder,  not 
understanding  what  Charles  meant.  Dudley,  terrified, 
drew  back,  and  would  have  rushed  from  the  room  ; 
but  Charles,  with  his  back  against  the  door,  prevented 
him. 

*  I — I've  done  nothing  to  be  arretted,  Sir  Charles,* 
Dudley  cried,  in  abject  terror,  looking  appealingly 
at  Amelia.  '  It — it  wasn't  me  as  cheated  you.* 
And  he  certainly  didn't  look  it. 

'  I  daresay  not,'  Charles  answered.  *  But  you 
don't  leave  this  room  till  Colonel  Clay  is  in  custody. 
No,  Amelia,  no ;  it's  no  use  your  speaking  to  me. 
What   he    says  is    true.      I   see   it  all  now.     This 


l^' 


284 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


villain  and  C^sarine  have  long  been  accomplices ! 
The  man's  downstairs  with  her  now.  If  we  let 
Dudley  quit  the  room  he'll  go  down  and  tell  them  ; 
and  before  we  know  where  we  are,  that  slippery  eel 
will  have  wriggled  through  our  fingers,  as  he  always 
wriggles.  He  is  Paul  Finglemore  ;  he  z's  C^sarine's 
young  man  ;  and  unless  we  arrest  him  now,  without 
one  minute's  delay,  he'll  be  off  to  Madrid  or  St. 
Petersburg  by  this  evening  ! ' 

'  You  are  right,'  I  answered.  *  It  is  now  or 
never  I ' 

'  Dudley,'  Charles  said,  in  his  most  authoritative 
voice,  '  stop  here  till  we  tell  you  you  may  leave  the 
room.  Amelia  and  Dolly,  don't  let  that  man  stir 
from  where  he's  standing.  If  he  does,  restrain  him. 
Seymour  and  Dr.  Beddersley,  come  down  with  me 
to  the  servants'  hall.  I  suppose  that's  where  I 
shall  find  this  person,  Dudley  ? ' 

*  N — no,  sir,'  Dudley  stammered  out,  half  beside 
himself  with  fright.  '  He's  in  the  housekeeper's 
room,  sir  !  *  ' 

We  went  down  to  the  lower  regions  in  a  solid 
phalanx  of  three.  On  the  way  we  met  Simpson, 
Sir  Charles's  valet,  and  also  the  butler,  whom  we 
pressed  into  the  service.  At  the  door  of  the  house- 
keeper's room  we  paused,  strategically.  Voices 
came  to  us  from  within ;  one  was  C6sarine's,  the 
other  had  a  ring  that  reminded  me  at  once  of 
Medhurst  and  the  Seer,  of  Elihu  Quackenboss  and 
Algernon    Coleyard.     They    were    talking    together 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  BERTILLON  METHOD      285 


iplices ! 
we  let 
I  them  ; 
jery  eel 
always 
^sarine's 
without 
I  or  St. 

now   or 

loritative 
leave  the 
man  stir 
rain  him. 
with  me 
where    I 

f  beside 
iekeeper's 

I 

a  solid 
Simpson, 
vhom  we 
he  house- 
Voices 
ine's,  the 

once    of 
iboss  and 

together 


in  French ;  and  now  and  then  we  caught  the  sound 
of  stifled  laughter. 

We  opened  the  door.  *  Est-il  drdle,  done,  ce 
vieux?*  the  man's  voice  was  saying. 

*  C'est  ct  mourir  de  rire,'  C«!sarine'c;  voice  responded. 
We  burst  in  upon  them,  red-handed. 
C^sarine's  young  man  rose,  with  his  hat  in  his 

hand,  in  a  respectful  attitude.  It  reminded  me  at 
once  of  Medhurst,  as  he  stood  talking  his  first  day 
at  Marvillier's  to  Charles  ;  and  also  of  the  little  curate, 
in  his  humblest  moments  as  the  disinterested  pastor. 
With  a  sign  to  me  to  do  likewise,  Charles  laid 
his  hand  firmly  on  the  young  man's  shoulder.  I 
looked  in  the  fellow's  face  :  there  could  be  no  denying 
it ;  C6sarine*s  young  man  was  Paul  Finglemore,  our 
broker's  brother. 

*  Paul  Finglemore,'  Charles  said  severely,  *  other- 
wise Cuthbert  Clay,  I  arrest  you  on  several  charges 
of  theft  and  conspii^cy  ! ' 

The  young  man  glanced  around  him.  He  was 
surprised  and  perturbed ;  but,  even  so,  his  in- 
exhaustible    coolness     never    once    deserted     him. 

*  What,   five   to    one  ? '   he    said,   counting   us   over. 

*  Has  law  and  order  come  down  to  this  ?  Five 
respectable  rascals  to  arrest  one  poor  beggar  of  a 
chevalier  dindustrie !  Why,  it's  worse  than  New 
York.  Therey  it  was  only  you  and  me,  you  know, 
old  Ten  per  Cent  I ' 

*  Hold  his  hands,  Simpson ! '  Charles  cried, 
trembling  lest  his  enemy  should  escape  him. 


A  ■ 


286 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


Paul  Finglcmore  drew  back  even  while  we  held 
his  shoulders.  '  No,  not  you,  sir/  he  said  to  the  man, 
haughtily.  *  Don't  dare  to  lay  your  hands  upon  me  ! 
Send  for  a  constable  if  you  wish,  Sir  Charles 
Vandrift ;  but  I  decline  to  be  taken  into  custody  by 
a  valet ! 

*Go  for  a  policeman,*  Dr.  Beddersley  said  to 
Simpson,  standing  forward. 

The  prisoner  eyed  him  up  and  down.  '  Oh,  Dr. 
Beddersley ! '  he  said,  relieved.  It  was  evident  he 
knew  him.  '  U  jfou've  tiacked  me  strictly  in  accord- 
ance with  Bertillon's  methods,  I  don't  mind  so  much. 
I  will  not  yield  to  fools  ;  I  yield  to  science.  I  didn't 
think  this  diamond  king  had  sense  enough  to  apply 
to  you.  He's  the  most  gullible  old  ass  I  ever  met 
in  my  life.  But  if  it's  j^«  who  have  tracked  me 
down,  I  can  only  submit  to  it' 

Charles  held  to  him  with  a  fierce  grip.  '  Mind 
he  doesn't  break  away,  Sey,'  he  cried.  *  He's  playing 
his  old  game  I     Distrust  the  man's  patter  ! ' 

*  Take  care,'  the  prisoner  put  in.  *  Remember 
Dr.  Polperro !     On  what  charge  do  you  arrest  me  ? ' 

Charles  was  bubbling  with  indignation.  *  You 
cheated  me  at  Nice,'  he  said  ;  *  at  Meran  ;  at  New 
York  ;  at  Paris  ! ' 

Paul  Finglemore  shook  his  head.  *  Won't  do,* 
he  answered,  calmly.  '  Be  sure  of  your  ground. 
Outside  the  jurisdiction  !  You  can  only  do  that  on 
an  extradition  warrant.' 

'  Well,  then,  at  Seldon,  in  London,  in  this  house, 


e  held 
le  man, 
on  me ! 
Charles 
:ody  by 

said    to 

Oh,  Dr. 

dent  he 
accord - 

;o  much. 
I  didn't 

to  apply 

pver  met 
:ked  me 


Mind 
playing 

:member 
est  me  ? ' 
'You 
at  New 

lon't  do,' 
ground, 
that  on 

lis  house, 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  BERTILLON  METHOD       287 

and  elsewhere,'  Charles  cried  out  excitedly.     '  Hold 
hard   to  him,   Sey  ;  by  law  or  without  it,  blessed  if 
he  isn't  going  even  now  to  wriggle  away  from  us  ! ' 
At    that     moment     Simpson     returned    with     a 


A   CONVENIENT    POLICEMAN. 


convenient  policeman,  whom  he  had  happened  to 
find  loitering  about  near  the  area  steps,  and  whom  I 
half  suspected  from  his  furtive  smile  of  being  a 
particular  acquaintance  of  the  household. 


fcWtfttiMka, 


288 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


!  .i' 


Charles  gave  the  man  in  charge  formally.  Paul 
Finglemore  insisted  that  he  should  specify  the  nature 
of  the  particular  accusation.  To  my  great  chagrin, 
Charles  selected  from  his  rogueries,  as  best  within 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  English  courts,  the  matter  of 
the  payment  for  the  Castle  of  Lebenstein— made  in 
London,  and  through  a  London  banker.  *  I  have  a 
warrant  on  that  ground,'  he  said.  I  trembled  as  he 
spoke.  I  felt  at  once  that  the  episode  of  the 
commission,  the  exposure  of  which  I  dreaded  so 
much,  must  now  become  public. 

The  policeman  took  the  man  in  charge.  Charles 
still  held  to  him,  grimly.  As  they  were  leaving  the 
room  the  prisoner  turned  to  C6sarine,  and  muttered 
something  rapidly  under  his  breath,  in  German. 
'  Of  which  tongue,'  he  said,  turning  to  us  blandly, 
'  in  spite  of  my  kind  present  of  a  dictionary  and 
grammar,  you  still  doubtless  remain  in  your  pristine 
ignorance  I  * 

C6sarine  flung  herself  upon  him  with  wild 
devotion.  *  Oh,  Paul,  darling,'  she  cried,  in  English, 
'  I  will  not,  I  will  not !  I  will  never  save  myself  at 
your  expense.  If  they  send  you  to  prison — Paul, 
Paul,  I  will  go  with  you  1' 

I  remembered  as  she  spoke  what  Mr.  Algernon 
Colejard  had  said  to  us  at  the  Senator's.  *  Even 
the  worst  of  rogues  have  always  some  good  in  them. 
I  notice  they  often  succeed  to  the  end  in  retaining 
the  affection  and  fidelity  of  women.' 

But  the  man,  his  hands  still  free,  unwound  her 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  BERTILLON  METHOD       289 


Charles 
Lving  the 
muttered 

German. 

blandly, 
lary  and 
pristine 

rith  wild 
English, 
myself  at 
)n — Paul, 

Algernon 
*  Even 
1  in  them, 
retaining 

^ound  her 


clasping  arms  with  gentle  fingers.  '  My  child,'  he 
answered,  in  a  soft  tone,  *  I  am  sorry  to  say  the  law 
of  England  will  not  permit  you  to  go  with  me.  If 
it  did  '  (his  voice  was  as  the  voice  of  the  poet  wc 
had  met),  ' "  stone  walls  would  not  a  prison  make, 
nor  iron  bars  a  cage." '  And  bending  forward,  he 
kissed  her  forehead  tenderly. 


Where's  that  hansom  gone? 

We  led  him  out  to  the  door.  The  policeman,  in 
obedience  to  Charles's  orders,  held  him  tight  with 
his  hand,  but  steadily  refused,  as  the  prisoner  was 
not  violent,  to  handcuff  him.  We  hailed  a  passing 
hansom.  '  To  Bow  Street ! '  Charles  cried,  un- 
ceremoniously pushing  in  policeman  and  prisoner. 
The  driver  nodded.  We  called  a  four-wheeler  our- 
selves, in  which  my  brother-in-law.  Dr.  Beddersley, 
and  myself  took  our  seats.     '  Follow  the  hansom  ! ' 

U 


'  1 

I 


«"•  -   <W   Ua«^lJL-,.^ 


^*-£*^„^^^ 


w 


11 


290 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


Charles  cried  out.  *  Don't  let  him  out  of  your  sight. 
After  him,  close,  to  Bow  Street  !* 

I  looked  back,  and  saw  C6sarine,  half  fainting, 
on  the  front  door  steps,  while  Dolly,  bathed  in  tears, 
stood  supporting  the  lady's-maid,  and  trying  to 
comfort  her.  It  was  clear  she  had  not  anticipated 
this  end  to  the  adventure. 

'  Goodness  gracious  ! '  Charles  screamed  out,  in  a 
fresh  fever  of  alarm,  as  we  turned  the  first  corner  ; 
'  Where's  that  hansom  gone  to  ?  How  do  I  know 
the  fellow  was  a  policeman  at  all  ?  We  should  have 
taken  the  man  in  here.  We  ought  never  to  have  let 
him  get  out  of  our  sight.  For  all  we  can  tell  to  thf 
contrary,  the  constable  himself — may  only  be  one  of 
Colonel  Clay's  confederates  ! ' 

And  we  drove  in  trepidation  all  the  way  to  Bow 
Street 


XII 


THE    EPISODE   OF    THE    OLD    BAILEY 


When  we  reached  Bow  Street,  we  were  relieved  to 
find  that  our  prisoner,  after  all,  had  not  evaded  us. 
It  was  a  false  alarm.  He  was  there  with  the  police- 
man, and  he  kindly  allowed  us  to  make  the  first 
formal  charge  against  him. 

Of  course,  on  Charles's  sworn  declaration  and 
my  own,  the  man  was  at  once  remanded,  bail  being 
refused,  owing  both  to  the  serious  nature  of  the  charge 
and  the  slippery  character  of  the  prisoner's  ante- 
cedents. We  went  back  to  Mayfair — Charles,  well 
satisfied  that  the  man  he  dreaded  was  under  lock 
and  key  ;  myself,  not  too  well  pleased  to  think  that 
the  man  I  dreaded  was  no  longer  at  large,  and  that 
the  trifling  little  episode  of  the  ten  per  cent  com- 
mission stood  so  near  discovery. 

Next  day  the  police  came  round  in  force,  and 
had  a  long  consultation  with  Charles  and  myself. 
They  strongly  urged  that  two  other  persons  at  least 
should  be  included  in  the  charge — C6sarine  and  the 
little  woman  whom  we  had  variously  known  as 
Madame    Picardet,    White    Heather,    Mrs.     David 


892 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


1 


Granton,  and  Mrs.  EHhu  Quackenboss.  If  these 
accomplices  were  arrested,  they  said,  we  could  in- 
clude conspiracy  as  one  count  in  the  indictment, 
which  gave  us  an  extra  chance  of  conviction.  Now 
they  had  got  Colonel  Clay,  in  fact,  they  naturally 
desired  to  keep  him,  and  also  to  indict  with  him  as 
many  as  possible  of  his  pals  and  confederates. 

Here,  however,  a  difficulty  arose.  Charles  called 
me  aside  with  a  grave  face  into  the  library.  '  Sey- 
mour,' he  said,  fixing  me,  '  this  is  a  serious  business. 
I  will  not  lightly  swear  away  any  woman's  character. 
Colonel  Clay  himself — or,  rather,  Paul  Finglemore — 
is  an  abandoned  rogue,  whom  I  do  not  desire  to 
screen  in  any  degree.  But  poor  little  Madame 
Picardet — she  may  be  his  lawful  wife,  and  she  may 
have  acted  implicitly  under  his  orders.  Besides,  I 
don't  know  whether  I  could  swear  to  her  identity. 
Here's  the  photograph  the  police  bring  of  the  woman 
they  believe  to  be  Colonel  Clay's  chief  female  accom- 
plice. Now,  I  ask  you,  does  it  in  the  least  degree 
resemble  that  clever  and  amusing  and  charming 
little  creature,  who  has  so  often  deceived  us  ? ' 

In  spite  of  Charles's  gibes,  I  flatter  myself  I  do 
really  understand  the  whole  duty  of  a  secretary.  It 
was  clear  from  his  voice  he  did  not  wish  me  to 
recognise  her ;  which,  as  it  happened,  I  did  not. 
'  Certainly,  it  doesn't  resemble  her,  Charles,'  I 
answered,  with  conviction  in  my  voice.  *  I  should 
never  have  known  her.'  But  I  did  not  add  that  I 
should  no  more  have  known  Colonel  Clay  himself  in 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  BAILEY 


293 


'f  these 
)uld  in- 
ictment, 
Now 
aturally 
him  as 

:s  called 
'Sey- 
Dusiness. 
laracter. 
;more — 
lesire  to 
^^Iadame 
she  may 
esides,  I 
identity. 
;  woman 
accom- 
t  degree 
harming 

lelf  I  do 
ary.     It 

me  to 
did  not. 
arles,'    I 

should 
d  that  I 
mself  in 


his  character  of  Paul  Finglemore,  or  of  C6sarine's 
young  man,  as  that  remark  lay  clearly  outside  my 
secretarial  functions. 

Still,  it  flitted  across  my  mind  at  the  time  that 
the  Seer  had  made  some  c  lual  remarks  at  Nice 
about  a  letter  in  Charles's  pocket,  presumably  from 
Madame  Picardet ;  and  I  reflected  further  that 
Madame  Picardet  in  turn  might  possibly  hold  certain 
answers  of  Charles's,  couched  in  such  terms  as  he 
might  reasonably  desire  to  conceal  from  Amelia. 
Indeed,  I  must  allow  that  under  whatever  disguise 
White  Heather  appeared  to  us,  Charles  was  always 
that  disguise's  devoted  slave  from  the  first  moment 
he  met  it.  It  occurred  to  me,  therefore,  that  the 
clever  little  woman — call  her  what  you  will — might 
be  the  holder  of  more  than  one  indiscreet  communi- 
cation. 

*  Under  these  circumstances,'  Charles  went  on,  in 
his  austerest  voice,  '  I  cannot  consent  to  be  a  party 
to  the  arrest  of  White  Heather.  I — I  decline  to 
identify  her.  In  point  of  fact' — he  grew  more 
emphatic  as  he  went  on — '  I  don't  think  there  is  an 
atom  of  evidence  of  any  sort  against  her.  Not,'  he 
continued,  after  a  pause,  '  that  I  wish  in  any  degree 
to  screen  the  guilty.  C^sarine,  now — C^sarine  we 
have  liked  and  trusted.  She  has  betrayed  our  trust. 
She  has  sold  us  to  this  fellow.  I  have  no  doubt  at 
all  that  she  gave  him  the  diamonds  from  Amelia's 
riviere ;  that  she  took  us  by  arrangement  to  meet 
him  at  Schloss   Lebenstein  ;    that   she  opened  and 


• 


294 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


sent  to  him  my  lettQr  to  Lord  Craig- Ellachie. 
Therefore,  I  say,  we  ought  to  arrest  C^sarine.  But 
not  White  Heather — not  Jessie  ;  not  that  pretty 
Mrs.  Quackenboss.  Let  the  guilty  suffer ;  why 
strike  at  the  innocent — or,  at  worst,  the  misguided  ? ' 

*  Charles,'  I  exclaimed,  with  warmth,  '  your  senti- 
ments do  you  honour.  You  are  a  man  of  feeling. 
And  White  Heather,  I  allow,  is  pretty  enough  and 
clever  enough  to  be  forgiven  anything.  You  may 
rely  upon  my  discretion.  I  will  swear  through  thick 
and  thin  that  I  do  not  recognise  this  woman  as 
Madame  Picardet.' 

Charles  clasped  my  hand  in  silence.  '  Seymour,* 
he  said,  after  a  pause,  with  marked  emotion,  *  I  felt 
sure  I  could  rely  upon  your — er — honour  and  in- 
tegrity. I  have  been  rough  upon  you  sometimes. 
But  I  ask  your  forgiveness.  I  see  you  understand 
the  whole  duties  of  your  position.' 

We  went  out  again,  better  friends  than  we  had 
been  for  months.  I  hoped,  indeed,  this  pleasant 
little  incident  might  help  to  neutralise  the  possible 
ill-effects  of  the  ten  per  cent  disclosure,  should 
Finglemore  take  it  into  his  head  to  betray  me  to 
my  employer.  As  we  emerged  into  the  drawing- 
room,  Amelia  beckoned  me  aside  towards  her 
boudoir  for  a  moment. 

'  Seymour,'  she  said  to  me,  in  a  distinctly 
frightened  tone,  '  I  have  treated  you  harshly  at 
times,  I  know,  and  I  am  very  sorry  for  it  But  I 
want  you  to  help  me  in  a  most  painful  difficulty. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  BAILEY 


295 


llachie. 
;.     But 

pretty 

;  why 
uided  ? ' 
,r  senti- 

feeling. 
igh  and 
bu  may 
gh  thick 
Dman  as 

ieymour,* 
n,  '  I  felt 

and  in- 
»metimes. 

derstand 

we  had 
pleasant 

;  possible 
should 

ay  me  to 
drawing- 

ards    her 

distinctly 

arshly   at 

It     But  1 

difficulty. 


The  police  arc  quite  right  as  to  the  charge  of  con- 
spiracy ;  that  designing  little  minx,  White  Heather, 
or   Mrs.   David  Granton,  or  whatever  else  we're  to 


I   WANT   YOU   TO   HELP  ME   IN    A   MOST    PAINFUL   DIFFICULTY. 

call  her,  ought  certainly  to  be  prosecuted — and  sent 
to  prison,  too — and  have  her  absurd  head  6f  hair 
cut  short  and  combed  straight  for  her.  But—  nd 
you  will  help  me  here,  I'm  sure,  dear  Seymour — I 


ill 


'ii 


296 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


cannot  allow  them  to  arrest  my  C^sarine.  I  don't 
pretend  to  say  C^sarine  isn't  guilty ;  the  girl  has 
behaved  most  ungratefully  to  me.  She  has  robbed 
me  right  and  left,  and  deceived  me  without  com- 
punction. Still — I  put  it  to  you  as  a  married  man 
— can  any  woman  afford  to  go  into  the  witness-box, 
to  be  cross-examined  and  teased  by  her  own  maid, 
or  by  a  brute  of  a  barrister  on  her  maid's  informa- 
tion ?  I  assure  you,  Seymour,  the  thing's  not  to  be 
dreamt  of.  There  are  details  of  a  lady's  life — 
known  only  to  her  maid — which  cannot  be  made 
public.  Explain  as  much  of  this  as  you  think  well 
to  Charles,  and  make  him  understand  that  if  he 
insists  upon  arre5  ]ng  Cesarine,  I  shall  go  into  the 
box — and  swear  my  head  ofif  to  prevent  any  one  of 
the  gang  from  being  convicted.  I  have  told  Cesarine 
as  much  ;  I  have  promised  to  help  her :  I  have  ex- 
plained that  I  am  her  friend,  and  that  if  she'll  stand 
by  me,  I'll  stand  by  her,  and  by  this  hateful  young 
man  of  hers.' 

I  saw  in  a  moment  how  things  went.  Neither 
Charles  nor  Amelia  could  face  cross-examination  on 
the  subject  of  one  of  Colonel  Clay's  accomplices. 
No  doubt,  in  Amelia's  case,  it  was  merely  a  question 
of  rouge  and  hair-dye ;  but  what  woman  would  not 
sooner  confess  to  a  forgery  or  a  murder  than  to 
those  toilet  secrets? 

I  returned  to  Charles,  therefore,  and  spent  half 
an  hour  in  composing,  as  well  as  I  might,  these  little 
domestic  difficulties.     In   the  end,  it  was  arranged 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  BAILEY 


m 


I  don't 
girl  has 
J  robbed 
)Ut  com- 
ried  man 
ness-box, 
wn  maid, 

informa- 
lot  to  be 
y's  life—     ■ 

be  made 
think  well 
hat   if  he 
D  into  the 
any  one  of 
d  C^sarine 
have  ex- 
;/ie'/l  stand 

;ful  young 

Neither 

ination  on 

:complices. 

a  question 

would  not 

er  than   to 

spent  half 
these  little 
arranged 


that  if  Charles  did  his  best  to  protect  C^sarine  from 
arrest,  Amelia  would  consent  to  do  her  best  in  return 
on  behalf  of  Madame  Picardet. 

We  had  next  the  police  to  tackle — a  more 
difficult  business.  Still,  even  ///ey  were  reasonable. 
They  had  caught  Colonel  Clay,  they  believed,  but 
their  chance  of  convicting  him  depended  entirely 
upon  Charl«s's  identification,  with  mine  to  back  it. 
The  more  they  urged  the  necessity  of  arresting  the 
female  confederates,  however,  the  more  stoutly  did 
Charles  declare  that  for  his  part  he  could  by  no 
means  make  sure  of  Colonel  Clay  himself,  while  he 
utterly  declined  to  give  evidence  of  any  sort  against 
either  of  the  women.  It  was  a  difficult  case,  he  said, 
and  he  felt  far  from  confident  even  about  the  man. 
If ///J  decision  faltered,  and  he  failed  to  identify,  the 
case  was  closed  ;  no  jury  could  convict  with  nothing 
to  convict  upon. 

At  last  the  police  gave  way.  No  other  course 
was  open  to  them.  They  had  made  an  important 
capture ;  but  they  saw  that  everything  depended 
upon  securing  their  witnesses,  and  the  witnesses,  if 
interfered  with,  were  likely  to  swear  to  absolutely 
nothing. 

Indeed,  as  it  turned  out,  before  the  preliminary 
investigation  at  Bow  Street  was  completed  (with  the 
usual  remands),  Charles  had  been  thrown  into  such 
a  state  of  agitation  that  he  wished  be  had  never 
caught  the  Colonel  at  all. 

'  I  wonder,  Sey,'  he  said  to  me,  *  why  I  didn't 


i:i 


"mm^aam.^t^ 


298 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


offer  the  rascal  two  thousand  a  year  to  go  right  off 
to  Australia,  and  be  rid  of  him  for  ever !  It  would 
have  been  cheaper  for  my  reputation  than  keeping 
him  about  in  courts  of  law  in  England.  The  worst 
of  it  is,  when  once  the  best  of  men  gets  into  a 
witness-box,  there's  no  saying  with  what  shreds 
and  tatters  of  a  character  he  may  at  last  come 
out  of  it ! ' 

*  In  your  case,  Charles,'  I  answered,  dutifully, 
'  there  can  be  no  such  doubt ;  except,  perhaps,  as 
regards  the  Craig-Ellachie  Consolidated.' 

Then  came  the  endless  bother  of  *  getting  up  the 
case*  with  the  police  and  the  lawyers.  Charles 
would  have  retired  from  it  altogether  by  that  time, 
but,  most  unfortunately,  he  was  bound  over  to 
pVosecute.  '  You  couldn't  take  a  lump  sum  to  let 
me  off?'  he  said,  jokingly,  to  the  inspector.  But  I 
knew  in  my  heart  it  was  one  of  the  'true  words 
spoken  in  jest '  that  the  proverb  tells  of. 

Of  course  we  could  see  now  the  whole  building- 
up  of  the  great  intrigue.  It  had  been  worked  out 
as  carefully  as  the  Tichborne  swindle.  Young 
Finglemore,  as  the  brother  of  Charles's  broker,  knew 
from  the  outset  all  about  his  affairs  ;  and,  after  a 
gentle  course  of  prebminary  roguery,  he  laid  his 
plans  deep  for  a  campaign  against  my  brother-in-law. 
Everything  had  been  deliberately  designed  before- 
hand. A  place  had  been  found  for  Cesarine  as 
Amelia's  maid — needless  to  say,  by  means  of  forged 
testimonials.     Through    her    aid    the   swindler    had 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  BAILEY 


299 


succeeded  in  learning  still  more  of  the  family  ways 
and  habits,  and  had  acquired  a  knowledge  of  certain 
facts  which  he  proceeded  forthwith  to  use  against  us. 
His  first  attack,  as  the  Seer,  had  been  cleverly 
designed  so  as  to  give  us  the  idea  that  we  wore  a 
mere  casual  prey  ;  and  it  did  not  escape  Charles's 
notice  now  that  the  detail  of  getting  Madame 
Picardet  to  inquire  at  the  Crddit  Marseillais  about 
his  bank  had  been  solemnly  gone  through  on  purpose 
to  blind  us  to  the  obvious  truth  that  Colonel  Clay 
was  already  i  full  possession  of  all  such  facts  about 
us.  It  was  by  C^sarine's  aid,  again,  that  he  became 
possessed  of  Amelia's  diamonds,  that  he  received  the 
letter  addressed  to  Lord  Craig-Ellachie,  and  that  he 
managed  to  dupe  us  over  the  Schloss  Lebenstein 
business.  Nevertheless, .  all  these  things  Charles 
determined  to  conceal  in  court ;  he  did  not  give  the 
police  a  single  fact  that  would  turn  against  either 
Cesarine  or  Madame  Picardet. 

As  for  Cesarine,  of  course,  she  left  the  house 
immediately  after  the  arrest  of  the  Colonel,  and  we 
heard  of  her  no  rr\ore  till  the  day  of  the  trial. 

When  that  great  day  came,  I  never  saw  a  more 
striking  sight  than  the  Old  Bailey  presented.  It 
was  crammed  to  overflowing.  Charles  arrived  early, 
accompanied  by  his  solicitor.  He  was  so  white  and 
troubled  that  he  looked  much  more  like  prisoner 
than  pnjsecutor.  Outside  the  court  a  pretty  little 
woman  stood,  pale  and  anxious.  A  respectful  crowd 
stared  at  her  silently.     '  Who  is  that?'  Charles  asked. 


''■^i'iiMitrjmeitgit^ 


i  ' 


hi 


t  '; 


;ri 


'J    ! 


300 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


Though  we  could  both  of  us  guess,  rather  than  see, 
it  was  White  Heather. 

'  That's  the  prisoner's  wife,'  the  inspector  on  duty 


A    PRETTY   LITTLE    WOMAN    STOOD,    I'ALE    AND    ANXIOUS. 

replied.      *  She's  wailing  to  see  him  enter.      I'm  sorry 
for  her,  poor  thing.      She's  a  perfect  lady.' 

'  So  she  seems,'  Charles  answered,  scarcely  daring 
to  face  her. 


MB 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  BAILEY 


301 


NXIOUS. 


At  that  moment  she  turned.  Her  eyes  fell  upon 
his.  Charles  paused  for  a  second  and  looked  falter- 
ing. There  was  in  those  eyes  just  the  faintest  gleam 
of  pleading  recognition,  but  not  a  trace  of  the  old 
saucy,  defiant  vivacity.  Charles  framed  his  lips  to 
words,  but  without  uttering  a  sound.  Unless  I 
greatly  mistake,  the  words  he  framed  on  his  lips 
were  these :  '  I  will  do  my  best  for  him.' 

We  pushed  our  way  in,  assisted  by  the  police. 
Inside  the  court  we  saw  a  lady  seated,  in  a  quiet 
black  dress,  with  a  becoming  bonnet.  A  moment 
passed  before  I  knew — it  was  C^sarine.  'Who  is 
— that  person  ? '  Charles  asked  once  more  of  the 
nearest  inspector,  desiring  to  see  in  what  way  he 
would  describe  her. 

And  once  more  the  answer  came,  'That's  the 
prisoner's  wiie,  sir.' 

Charles  started  back,  surprised.  *  But — I  was 
told — a  lady  outside  was  Mrs.  Paul  Finglemore,*  he 
broke  in,  much  puzzled. 

'Very  likely,'  the  inspector  replied,  unmoved. 
*  We  have  plenty  that  way.  W/ieu  a  gentleman  has 
as  many  aliases  as  Colonel  Clay,  you  can  hardly 
expect  him  to  be  over  particular  about  having  only 
one  wife  between  them,  can  you  ? ' 

'  Ah,  I  see,'  Charles  muttered,  in  a  shocked  voice. 
'  Bigamy ! ' 

The  inspector  looked  stony.  '  Well,  not  exactly 
that,'  he  replied,  '  occasional  marriage.' 

Mr.  Justice  Rhadamanth  tried  the  case.  '  I'm  sorry 


302 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


'  r 


I    ! 


it's  him,  Sey,'  my  brother-in-law  whispered  in  my  ear. 
(He  said  Aim,  not  /te,  because,  whatever  else  Charles 
is,  he  is  noi  a  pedant  ;  the  English  language  as  it  is 
spoken  by  most  edu- 
cated men  is  quite 
good  enough  for  his 
purpose.)  'I  only  wish 
it  had  been  Sir  Edward 
Easy.  Easy's  a  man  .7^^ 
of  the   world,  and    a 


I     ( 


man  of   society  ;    he 

would  feel  for  aperson 

in  j/iy  position.      He 

wouldn't  allow  these  L 

beasts  of  lawyers  to  vmmmm'^ 

badger  and  pester  me. 

He   would   back    his        vhe  prisoner. 

order.      But    Rhada- 

manth  is  one  of  your  modern   sort   of 

judges,  who  make  a  merit  of  being  what 

they  call  "conscientious,"  and  won't  hush 

up    anything.       I   admit   I'm   afraid    of 

him.      I  shall  be  glad  when  it's  over.' 

'  Oh,  you'//  pull  through  all  right,'  I 
said  in  my  capacity  of  secretary.  But 
I  didn't  think  it. 

The  judge  took  his  seat.  The  prisoner  was  brought 
in.  Every  eye  seemed  bent  upon  him.  He  was 
neatly  and  plainly  dressed,  and,  rogue  though  he  was, 
I  must  honestly  confess  he  looked  at  least  a  gentle- 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  EAILEY 


303 


man.  His  manner  was  defiant,  not  abject  like 
Charles's.  He  knew  he  was  at  bay,  and  he  turned 
like  a  man  to  face  his  accusers. 

We  had  two  or  three  counts  on  the  charge,  and, 
after  some  formal  business.  Sir  Charles  Vandrift  was 
put  into  the  box  to  bear  witness  against  Finglemore. 

Prisoner  was  unrepresented.  Counsel  had  been 
offered  him,  but  he  refused  their  aid.  The  judge  even 
advised  him  to  accept  their  help  ;  but  Colonel  Clay, 
as  we  all  called  him  mentally  still,  declined  to  avail 
himself  of  the  judge's  suggestion. 

'  I  am  a  barrister  myself,  my  lord,'  he  said — '  called 
some  nine  years  ago.  I  can  conduct  my  own  defence, 
I  venture  to  think,  better  than  any  of  these  my  learned 
brethren.' 

Charles  went  through  his  examination-in-chief 
quite  swimmingly.  He  answered  with  promptitude. 
He  identified  the  prisoner  without  the  slightest 
hesitation  as  the  man  who  had  swindled  him  under 
the  various  disguises  of  the  Reverend  Richard  Peploe 
Brabazon,  the  Honourable  David  Granton,  Count  von 
Lebenstein,  Professor  Schleiermacher,  Dr.  Quacken- 
boss,  and  others.  He  had  not  the  slightest  doubt  of 
the  man's  identity.  He  could  swear  to  him  anywhere. 
I  thought,  for  my  own  part,  he  was  a  trifle  too  cock- 
sure. A  certain  amount  of  hesitation  would  have 
been  better  policy.  As  to  the  various  swindles,-  he 
detailed  them  in  full,  his  evidence  to  be  supplemented 
by  that  of  bank  officials  and  other  subordinates.  In 
short,  he  left  Finglemore  not  a  leg  to  stand  upon. 


394 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


When  it  came  to  the  cross-examination,  however, 
matters  began  to  assume  quite  a  different  complexion. 
The  prisoner  set  out  by  questioning  Sir  Charles's 
identifications.  Was  he  sure  of  his  man  ?  He  handed 
Charles  a  photograph.  *  Is  that  the  person  who 
represented  himself  as  the  Reverend  Richard  Peploe 
Brabazon  ?  *  he  asked  persuasively. 

Charles  admitted  it  without  a  moment's  delay. 

Just  at  that  moment,  a  little  parson,  whom  I  had 
not  noticed  till  then,  rose  up,  unobtrusively,  near  the 
middle  of  the  court,  where  he  was  seated  beside  C^sarine. 

*  Look  at  that  gentleman  I '  the  prisoner  said, 
waving  one  hand,  and  pouncing  upon  the  prosecutor. 

Charles  turned  and  looked  at  the  person  indicated. 
His  face  grew  still  whiter.  It  was — to  all  outer 
appearance — the  Reverend  Richard  Brabazon  m 
propriA  persond. 

Of  course  I  saw  the  trick.  This  was  the  real 
parson  upon  whose  outer  man  Colonel  Clay  had 
modelled  his  little  curate.  But  the  jury  was  shaken. 
And  so  was  Charles  for  a  moment. 

'  Let  the  jurors  see  the  photograph,'  the  judge 
said,  authoritatively.  It  was  passed  round  the  jury- 
box,  and  the  judge  also  examined  it.  We  could  see 
at  once,  by  their  faces  and  attitudes,  they  all  re- 
cognised it  as  the  portrait  of  the  clergyman  before 
them — not  of  the  prisoner  in  the  dock,  who  stood 
there  smiling  blandly  at  Charles's  discomfiture. 

The  clergyman  sat  down.  At  the  same  moment 
the  prisoner  produced  a  second  photograph. 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  BAILEY 


305 


*  Now,  can  you  tell  me  who  that  is  ?  *  he  asked 
Charles,  in  the  regular  brow-beating  Old  Bailey  voice. 

With  somewhat  more  hesitation,  Charles  answered, 
after  a  pause :  *  That  is  yourself  as  you  appeared  in 
London  when  you  came  in  the  disguise  of  the  Graf 
von  Lebenstein.' 

This  was  a  crucial  point,  for  the  Lebenstein  fraud 
was  the  one  count  on  which  our  lawyers  relied  to 
prove  their  case  most  fully,  within  the  jurisdiction. 

Even  while  Charles  spoke,  a  gentleman  whom  I 
had  noticed  before,  sitting  beside  White  Heather,  with 
a  handkerchief  to  his  face,  rose  as  abruptly  as  the 
parson.  Colonel  Clay  indicated  him  with  a  graceful 
movement  of  his  hand.  '  And  this  gentleman  ?  '  he 
asked  calmly. 

Charles  was  fairly  staggered.  It  was  the  obvious 
original  of  the  false  Von  Lebenstein. 

The  photograph  went  round  the  box  once  more. 
The  jury  smiled  incredulously.  Charles  had  given 
himself  away.  His  overweening  confidence  and 
certainty  had  ruined  him. 

Then  Colonel  Clay,  leaning  forward,  and  looking 
quite  engaging,  began  a  new  line  of  cross-examination. 
*  We  have  seen.  Sir  Charles,'  he  said,  *  that  we  cannot 
implicitly  trust  your  identifications.  Now  let  us  see 
how  far  we  can  trust  your  other  evidence.  First,  then, 
about  those  diamonds.  You  tried  to  buy  them,  did 
you  not,  from  a  person  who  represented  himself  as  the 
Reverend  Richard  Brabazon,  because  you  believed  he 
thought    they  were  paste ;    and  if  you   could,  you 

X 


^GjUMiit' 


306 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


\)'. 


. 


|l!j! 


I   :i 


I  ii 


would  have  given  him  ;^io  or  so  for  them.  Do  you 
think  that  was  honest  ?  * 

*  I  object  to  this  line  of  cross-examination/  our 
leading  counsel  interposed.  *  It  does  not  bear  on  the 
prosecutor's  evidence.      It  is  purely  recriminatory.' 

Colonel  Clay  was  all  bland  deference.  '  I  wish, 
my  lord, '  he  said,  turning  round,  '  to  show  that  the 
prosecutor  is  a  person  unworthy  of  credence  in  any 
way.  I  desire  to  proceed  upon  the  well-known  legal 
maxim  ofja/sus  in  uno^fahus  in  omnibus.  I  believe 
I  am  permitted  to  shake  the  witness's  credit  ? ' 

'  The  prisoner  is  entirely  within  his  rights,*  Rhada- 
manth  answered,  looking  severely  at  Charles.  *  And 
I  was  wrong  in  suggesting  that  he  needed  the  advice 
or  assistance  of  counsel.* 

Charles  wriggled  visibly.  Colonel  Clay  perked 
up.  Bit  by  bit,  with  dexterous  questions,  Charles 
was  made  to  acknowledge  that  he  wanted  to  buy 
diamonds  at  the  price  of  paste,  knowing  them  to  be 
real ;  and,  a  millionaire  himself,  would  gladly  have 
diddled  a  poor  curate  out  of  a  couple  of  thousand. 

'  I  was  entitled  to  take  advantage  of  my  special 
knowledge,'  Charles  murmured  feebly. 

'  Oh,  certainly,'  the  prisoner  answered.  '  But, 
while  professing  friendship  and  affection  for  a  clergy- 
man and  his  wife,  in  straitened  circumstances,  you  were 
prepared,  it  seems,  to  take  three  thousand  pounds' 
worth  of  goods  off  their  hands  for  ten  pounds,  if  you 
could  have  got  them  at  that  price.     Is  not  that  so  ?  * 

Charles  was  compelled  to  admit  it 


! 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  BAILEY 


307 


The  prisoner  went  onto  the  David  Granton  incident. 
'  When  you  offered  to  amalgamate  with  Lord  Craig- 
Ellachie,'  he  asked,  '  had  you  or  had  you  not  heard 
that  a  gold-bearing  reef  ran  straight  from  your  con- 
cession into  Lord  Craig-Ellachie's,  and  that  his  portion 


UNWILLINGLY,    SHAMEKACICDLY,    CHARLES    WAS 
COMPELLED    TO    CONFESS. 

of  the  reef  was  by  far  the  larger  and  more  important?' 
Charles  wriggled  again,  and  our  counsel  interposed ; 

but  Rhadamanth  was  adamant.  Charles  had  to  allow  it. 
And  so,  too,  with   the   incident  of  the  Slump  in 

Golcondas.      Unwillingly,  shamefacedly,  by  torturing 

steps,  Charles  was  compelled  to  confess  that  he  had 


3o8 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


I  ilr' 


sold  out  Golcondas  —  he,  the  Chairman  of  the 
company,  after  repeated  declarations  to  shareholders 
and  others  that  he  would  do  no  such  thing — because 
he  thought  Professor  Schleiermacher  had  made 
diamonds  worthless.  He  had  endeavour'^d  to  save 
himself  by  ruining  his  company.  Charles  tried  to 
brazen  it  out  with  remarks  to  the  effect  that  business 
was  business.  '  And  fraud  is  fraud,'  Rhadamanth 
added,  in  his  pungent  way. 

'  A  man  must  protect  himself,'  Charles  burst  out. 

*  At  the  expense  of  those  who  have  put  their  trust  in 
his  honour  and  integrity,'  the  judge  commented  coldly. 

After  four  mortal  hours  of  it,  all  to  the  same 
effect,  my  respected  brother-in-law  left  the  witness- 
box  at  last,  wiping  his  brow  and  biting  his  lip,  with 
the  very  air  of  a  culprit.  His  character  had  received 
a  most  serious  blow.  While  he  stood  in  the  witness- 
box  all  the  world  had  felt  it  was  Jie  who  was  the  accused 
and  Colonel  Clay  who  was  the  prosecutor.  He  was 
convicted  on  his  own  evidence  of  having  tried  to 
induce  the  supposed  David  Granton  to  sell  his 
father's  interesis  into  an  enemy's  hands,  and  of 
every  other  shady  trick  into  which  his  well-known 
business  acuteness  had  unfortunately  hurried  him 
during  the  course  of  his  adventures.  I  had  but  one 
consolation  in  my  brother-in-law's  misfortunes — and 
that  was  the  tho'ight  that  a  due  sense  of  his  own  short- 
comings might  possibly  make  him  more  lenient  in 
the  end  to  the  trivial  misdemeanours  of  a  poor  beggar 
of  a  secretary  ! 


THli  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  BAILEY 


S09 


/  was  the  next  in  the  box.  I  do  not  desire  to 
enlarge  upon  my  own  achievements.  I  will  draw  a 
decent  veil,  indeed,  over  the  painful  scene  that  ensued 
when  I  finished  my  evidence.  I  can  only  say  I  was 
more  cautious  than  Charles  in  my  recognition  of  the 
photographs;  but  I  found  myself  particularly  worried 
and  harried  over  other  parts  of  my  cross-examina- 
tion. Especially  was  I  shaken  about  that  misguided 
step  I  took  in  the  matter  of  the  .cheque  for  the 
Lebenstein  commission — a  cheque  which  Colonel 
Clay  handed  to  me  with  the  utmost  politeness, 
requesting  to  know  whether  or  not  it  bore  my 
signature.  I  caught  Charles's  eye  at  the  end  of  the 
episode,  and  I  venture  to  say  the  expression  it  wore 
was  one  of  relief  that  I  too  had  tripped  over  a  trifling 
question  of  ten  per  cent  on  the  purchase  money  of 
the  castle. 

Altogether,  I  must  admit,  if  it  had  not  been  for 
the  police  evidence,  we  would  have  failed  to  make  a 
case  against  our  man  at  all.  But  the  police,  I  confess, 
had  got  up  their  part  of  the  prosecution  admirably. 
Now  that  they  knew  Colonel  Clay  to  be  really  Paul 
Finglemore,  they  showed  with  great  cleverness  how 
Paul  Finglemore's  disappearances  and  reappearances 
in  London  exactly  tallied  with  Colonel  Clay's 
appearances  and  disappearances  elsewhere,  under  the 
guise  of  the  little  curate,  the  Sccr,  David  Granton, 
and  the  rest  of  them.  Furthermore,  they  showed 
experimentally  how  the  prisoner  at  the  bar  might 
have  got  himself  up  in  the  various  characters  ;  and. 


310 


AN  .AFRICAN   MILLIONAIRE 


by  means  of  a  wax  bust,  modelled  by  Dr.  Bcddcrslcy 
from  observations  at  liow  Street,  and  aided  by 
additions  in  the  ^^itta-percha  eomi)osition  after  Dolly 
Linj;field's  photoj^raphs,  they  succeeded  in  proving 
that  the  face  as  it  stood  could  be  readily  transformed 


MODELLED   BY   DR.    BEDDF-RRLEY. 


into  the  faces  of  Medhurst  and  David  Granton. 
Altogether,  their  cleverness  and  trained  acumen 
made  up  on  the  whole  for  Charles's  over-certainty, 
and  they  succeeded  in  putting  before  the  jury  a  strong 
case  of  their  own  against  Paul  ]"'inglemore. 

The  trial  occupied  three  days.      After  the  first  of 
the  three,  my  respected  brother-in-law  preferred,  as 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  BAILEY 


3" 


he  said,  not  to  prejudice  the  case  against  the  prisoner 
by  appearing  in  court  again.  He  did  not  even 
allude  to  the  little  matter  of  the  ten  per  cent  com- 
mission further  than  to  say  at  dinner  that  evening 
that  all  men  were  bound  to  protect  their  own  interests 
— as  secretaries  or  as  principals.  This  I  took  for 
forgiveness  ;  and  I  continued  diligently  to  attend 
the  trial,  and  watch  the  case  in  my  employer's 
interest. 

The  defence   was    ingenious,  even   if   somewhat 
halting.      It  consisted  simply  of  an  attempt  to  prove 

« 

throughout  that  Charles  and  I  had  made  our  prisoner 
the  victim  of  a  mistaken  identity.  Finglemore  put 
into  the  box  the  ingenuous  original  of  the  little 
curate — the  Reverend  Septimus  Porkington,  as  it 
turned  out,  a  friend  of  his  family  ;  and  he  showed 
that  it  was  the  Reverend  Septimus  himself  who  had 
sat  to  a  photographer  in  Baker  Street  for  the  portrait 
which  Charles  too  hastily  identified  as  that  of 
Colonel  Clay  in  his  personification  of  Mr.  Richard 
Brabazon.  He  further  elicited  the  fact  that  the 
portrait  of  the  Count  von  Lebenstein  was  really  taken 
from  Dr.  Julius  Keppel,  a  Tyrolese  music -master, 
residing  at  Balham,  whom  he  put  into  the  box,  and 
who  was  well  known,  as  it  chanced,  to  the  foreman 
of  the  jury.  Gradually  he  made  it  clear  to  us  that 
no  portraits  existed  of  Colonel  Clay  at  all,  except 
Dolly  Lingfield's — so  it  dawned  upon  me  by  degrees 
that  even  Dr.  Beddersley  could  only  have  been  misled 
if  we  had  succeeded  in  finding  for  him  the  alleged 


3" 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


photographs  of  Colonel  Clay  as  the  count  and  the 
curate,  which  had  been  shown  us  by  Medhurst. 
Altogether,  the  prisoner  based  his  defence  upon  th*? 
fact  that  no  more  than  two  witnesses  directly 
identified  him  ;  while  one  of  those  two  had  positively 
sworn  that  he  recognised  as  the  prisoner's  two 
portraits  which  turned  out,  by  independent  evidence, 
to  be  taken  from  other  people  !  • 

The  judge  summed  up  in  a  caustic  way  which 
was  pleasant  to  neither  party.  He  asked  the  jury  to 
dismiss  from  their  minds  entirely  the  impression 
created  by  what  he  frankly  described  as  *  Sir  Charles 
Vandrift's  obvious  dishonesty.'  They  must  not  allow 
the  fact  that  he  was  a  millionaire — and  a  particularly 
shady  one — to  prejudice  their  feelings  in  favour  of 
the  prisoner.  Even  the  richest — and  vilest — of  men 
must  be  protected.  Besides,  this  was  a  public 
question.  If  a  rogue  cheated  a  rogue,  he  must  still 
be  punished.  If  a  murderer  stabbed  or  shot  a 
murderer,  he  must  still  be  hung  for  it.  Society  must 
see  that  the  worst  of  thieves  were  not  preyed  upon 
by  others.  Therefore,  the  proved  facts  that  Sir 
Charles  Vandrift,  with  all  his  millions,  had  meanly 
tried  to  cheat  the  prisoner,  or  some  other  poor 
person,  out  of  valuable  diamonds — had  basely  tried 
to  juggle  Lord  Craig- Ellachie's  mines  into  his  own 
hands — had  vilely  tried  to  bribe  a  son  to  betray  his 
father — had  directly  tried,  by  underhand  means,  to 
save  his  own  money,  at  the  risk  of  destroying  the 
wealth  of  others  who  trusted  to  his  probity — these 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  BAILEY 


313 


proved  facts  must  not  blind  them  to  the  truth  that  the 
prisoner  at  the  bar  (if  he  were  really  Colonel  Clay)  was 
an  abandoned  swindler.  To  that  point  alone  they  must 
confine  their  attention  ;  and  if  they  were  convinced 
that  the  prisoner  was  shown  to  be  the  self-same  man 
who  appeared  on  various  occasions  as  David  Granton, 
as  Von  Lebenstein,,  as  Medhurst,  as  Schleiermacher, 
they  must  find  him  guilty. 

As  to  that  point,  also,  the  judge  commented  on 
the  obvious  strength  of  the  police  case,  and  the  fact 
that  the  prisoner  had  not  attempted  in  any  one  out 
of  so  many  instances  to  prove  an  alibi.  Si!iely,  if 
he  were  not  Colonel  Clay,  the  jury  should  ask  them- 
selves, must  it  not  have  been  simple  and  easy  for 
him  to  do  so?  Finally,  the  judge  summed  up  all 
the  elements  of  doubt  in  the  identification — and  all 
the  elements  of  probability  ;  and  left  it  to  the  jury 
to  draw  their  own  conclusions. 

They  retired  at  the  end  to  consider  their  verdict. 
While  they  were  absent  every  eye  in  court  was 
fixed  on  the  prisoner.  But  Paul  Finglemore  himself 
looked  steadily  towards  the  further  end  of  the  hall, 
where  two  pale-faced  women  sat  together,  with  hand- 
kerchiefs in  their  hands,  and  eyes  red  with  weeping. 

Only  then,  as  he  stood  there,  awaiting  the  verdict, 
with  a  fixed  white  face,  prepared  for  everything,  did 
I  begin  to  realise  with  what  courage  and  pluck  that 
one  lone  man  had  sustained  so  long  an  unequal 
contest  against  wealth,  authority,  and  all  the  Govern- 
ments of  Europe,  aided  but  by  his  own  skill  and 


314 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


'j    . 


two  feeble  women  !  Only  then  did  I  feel  he  had 
played  his  reckless  game  through  all  those  years 
with  th's  ever  before  him  !  I  found  it  hard  to 
picture. 

The  jury  filed  slowly  back.  There  was  dead 
silence  in  court  as  the  clerk  put  the  question,  *  Do 
you  find  the  prisoner  at  the  bar  guilty  or  not 
guilty  ? ' 

*  We  find  him  guilty.' 


THE   JURV   FILED   SLOWLY    BACK. 

'  On  all  the  counts  ? '  .'  , 

'  On  all  the  counts  of  the  indictment' 

The     women     at     the     back     burst     into    tears, 

unanimously. 

Mr.  Justice  Rhadamanth  addressed  the  prisoner. 

*  Have  you  anything  to   urge,'  he  asked   in  a  very 

stern  tone,  '  in  mitigation  of  whatever  sentence  the 

Court  may  see  fit  to  pass  upon  you  ? ' 

*  Nothing,'  the  prisoner   answered,  just    faltering 

slightly.     '  I  have  brought  it  upon  myself — but — I 


!i 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  BAILEY 


31S 


e\  he  had 
lose  years 
;t   hard    to 


was  dead 
2stion,  '  Do 
itv   or    not 


into    tears, 

le  prisoner. 

in  a  very 

;ntence  the 

|st   faltering 
2lf— but— I 


have  protected  the  h'ves  of  those  nearest  and  dearest 
to  me.  I  have  fought  hard  for  my  own  hand.  I 
admit  my  crime,  and  will  face  my  punishment  I 
only  regret  that,  since  we  were  both  of  us  rogues — 
myseli"  and  the  prosecutor — the  lesser  rogue  should 
have  stood  here  in  the  dock,  and  the  greater  in  the 
witness-box.  Our  country  takes  care  to  decorate 
each  according  to  his  deserts — to  him,  the  Grand 
Cross  of  St.  Michael  and  St.  George ;  to  me,  the 
Broad  Arrow ! ' 

The  judge  gazed  at  him  severely.  *  Paul  Fingle- 
more,'  he  said,  passing  sentence  in  his  sardonic  way, 
*  you  have  chosen  to  dedicate  to  the  service  of  fraud 
abilities  and  attainments  which,  if  turned  from  the 
outset  into  a  legitimate  channel,  would  no  doubt 
have  sufficed  to  secure  you  without  excessive  effort 
a  subsistence  one  degree  above  starvation — possibly 
even,  with  good  luck,  a  sordid  and  squalid  compet- 
ence. You  have  preferred  to  embark  them  on  a 
lawless  life  of  vice  and  crime — and  I  will  not  deny 
that  you  seem  to  have  had  a  good  run  for  your 
money.  Society,  however,  whose  mouthpiece  I  am, 
cannot  allow  you  any  longer  to  mock  it  with  im- 
punity. You  have  broken  its  laws  openly,  and  you 
have  been  found  out.'  He  assumed  the  tone  of 
bland  condescension  which  always  heralds  his 
severest  moments.  '  I  sentence  you  to  Fourteen 
Years'  Imprisonment,  with  Hard  Labour.* 

The  prisoner  bowed,  without  losing  his  apparent 
composure.     But  his  eyes  strayed  away  again  to  the 


3i6 


AN  AFRICAN  MILLIONAIRE 


far  end  of  the  hall,  where  the  two  weeping  women, 
with  a  sudden  sharp  cry,  fell  at  once  in  a  faint  on 
one  another's  shoulders,  and  were  with  difficulty 
removed  from  court  by  the  ushers. 

As  we  left  the  room,  I  heard  but  one  comment 
all  round,  thus  voiced  by  a  school  -  boy :  'I'd  a 
jolly  sight  rather  it  had  been  old  Vandrift.  This 
Clay  chap's  too  clever  by  half  to  waste  on  a 
prison  I ' 

But  he  went  there,  none  the  less — in  that  *  cool 
sequestered  vale  of  life '  to  recover  equilibrium ; 
though  I  myself  half  regretted  it. 

I  will  add  but  one  more  little  parting  episode. 

When  all  was  over,  Charles  rushed  off  to  Cannes, 
to  get  away  from  the  impertinent  stare  of  London. 
Amelia  and  Isabe'  and  I  went  with  him.  We  were 
driving  one  afternoon  on  the  hills  beyond  the  town, 
among  the  myrtle  and  lentisk  scrub,  when  we 
noticed  in  front  of  us  a  nice  victoria,  containing  two 
ladies  in  very  deep  mourning.  We  followed  it,  un- 
intentionally, as  far  as  Le  Grand  Pin — that  big  pine 
tree  that  looks  across  the  bay  towards  Antibes. 
There,  the  ladies  descended  and  sat  down  on  a 
knoll,  gazing  out  disconsolately  towards  the  sea  and 
the  islands.  It  was  evident  they  were  suffering  very 
deep  grief.  Their  faces  were  pale  and  their  eyes 
bloodshot.  '  Poor  things  ! '  Amelia  said.  Then  her 
tone  altered  suddenly. 

'  Why,  good  gracious,'  she  cried,  '  if  it  isn'*^ 
C^sarine  I ' 


THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  OLD  BAILEY 


317 


ig  women, 

a  faint  on 

difficulty 

comment 
y:  'I'd  a 
rift.  This 
iste    on    a 

that '  cool 
[uilibrium  ; 

episode, 
to  Cannes, 
)f  London. 
We  were 
the  town, 
when    we 
aining  two 
wed  it,  un- 
it big  pine 
Antibes. 
own   on   a 
le  sea  and 
Cling  very 
their  eyes 
Then  her 


So  it  was — with  White  Heather ! 

Charles  got  down  and  drew  near  them.  '  I  beg 
your  pardon,'  he  said,  raising  his  hat,  and  addressing 
Madame  Picardet :  '  I  believe  I  have  had  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  you.  And  since  I  have  doubtless  paid 
in  the  end  for  your  victoria,  i/My  I  venture  to  inquire 
for  whom  you  are  in  mourning  ?  * 

White  Heather  drew  back,  sobbing  ;  but  C^sarinc 
turned  to  him,  fiery  red,  with  the  mien  of  a  lady. 
'  For  /ttm  r  she  answered  ;  '  for  Paul !  for  our  king, 
whom  you  have  imprisoned  !  As  long  as  /le  remains 
there,  we  have  both  of  us  decided  to  wear  mourning 
for  ever  I ' 

Charles  raised  his  hat  again,  and  drew  back  with- 
out one  word.  He  waved  his  hand  to  Amelia  and 
walked  home  with  me  to  Cannes.  He  seemed 
deeply  dejected. 

'  A  penny  for  your  thoughts ! '  I  exclaimed,  at 
last,  in  a  jocular  tone,  trying  feebly  to  rouse  him. 

He  turned  to  me,  and  sighed.  '  I  was  wondering,' 
he  answered,  *  if  /  had  gone  to  prison,  would  Amelia 
and  Isabel  have  done  as  much  for  me  ? ' 

For  myself,  I  did  ?iot  wonder.  I  knew  pretty 
well.  For  Charles,  you  will  admit,  though  the  bigger 
rogue  of  the  two,  is  scarcely  the  kind  of  rogue  to 
inspire  a  woman  with  profound  affection. 


if    it    isn'^ 


EDWARD  ARNOLD'S 
PUBLICATIONS 


EDWARD   ARNOLD 


LONDON 
37  Bedford  Street 


NEW    YORK 

70  Fifth  Avenue 


HI; 


I  I  ;  i 


INDEX    OF   TITLES. 


Pac;k 
A   Book  about  the   Garden  and  the 

Gardmier.     Hole S 

A  Book  about  Koses.     Hole     ...  S 

A  Devotee.     Cholmondeley      ...  5 

A  History  of  England,     (^nian      .     .  u 

A  l.iitle    Tour  in  .-Vmerica.     Hole      .  8 

A  [.ittle  Tour  in  Ireland.     Hole    .     .  S 

A  M.isk  and  a  .Martyr.     I'rL'sco't  .     .  13 

A  Reluctant  Kvangelist.     .Spimier     .  15 

A  .Sporlinj;  'lour.     Thornton    ...  1 1 

A  Sunshine  Trip.  Bottonie  ...  3 
A  Treasury  of  Minor  British  Poetry. 

Collins 5 

Across  an  Ulster  Bog.     Hamilton     .  7 

Alplionse  D.uidet.     Sherard     ...  14 

Animal  Sketches  Morgan  ...  12 
Benjannn  Jowett,  Master  of  lUllinl. 

Tollcmache 16 

Comm  >n-Sense   Cookery.      Keniioy- 

Herbert y 

Dave's  Sweetheart.     (laiint      ...  h 

Karly  lOnglish  t'lniiiture.     Clouston  .  5 

E  irly  Victorian  Literature.     Harrison  7 

Eric  the  Archer      llervey    ....  .S 

Fancy  Dresses  Described.      Holt  .     .  .S 

Fifty  Breakfisls.      Kenney-llerbert  .  y 

Fifty  Dinners.     Kenney-Herbert  .  y 

Fifty  faniches.  Kenney-Herbert  .  ij 
Fifty  V'ears'  Reminiscences  of  India. 

I'ollok     . 13 

Fire  and  Sword  in  the  Sudan.    Statin 

Pasha 15 

Fish- fails,  etc.     Hall 7 

George's  Mother.     Crane     ....  5 

Great  Public  Schools 7 

Habit  and  Instinct.     Morgan   ...  12 

H.i(liira.     "  Ad.det  "  _. 3 

Her  Own  Devices.  Conipion  ...  5 
How  Dick  and  Molly  Saw  England. 

I-egh i; 

How   Dick  and  Mollv  Went   Round 

the  World.     Legli  ' ; 

In  a  Gloucestersl'.ire  Gard'jn.     Ell.i- 

conibe 5 

Industrial  Poultry- Keeping.     Brown.  4 

Interludes.     <)\enden 12 

Kleines  H.uistheater.      I'.ell .     ...  3 

Lamb's  Adventures  of  Ulysses.   Lang  ') 

Life  the  A'cuser.     Brooke   ....  4 

Life's  Prescription.  Morrison  .  .  12 
M.icDonald,  Memoirs  of  the  late  Sir 

John  A.     Pope 13 

Master  Magnus.     I'ield 6 

Memoir  of  iSliss  Cloiigh      Clough      .  5 

Memories  of  Mashonaland,     Bruce    .  9 

Memories  of  the  Mouths.      Maxwell.  11 

Men  of  Might.     Benson  and  Tatham.  3 

Misiher  O'Ryan.     McNuhy     ...  10 

My  Dog  Plato.     Legh 10 

My  Mission  to  .Abyssinia.      Portal     .  13 

Old  English  Glasses.     Hartshorne     .  7 

One  of  God's  Dilemmas.     Upward   .  I'l 

On  the  Threshold.      Ford      ....  6 

On  Veldt  and  Farm.      Maciiab       .     .  10 

Ormisdal.     Earl  of  Dnnmore    ...  5 

Papier  M.ache.     Allen 3 

Paradise  Lost 16 

Persia  Revisited.     Gordon    ....  7 

Pleasurable  Bee- Keeping.     White     .  16 


Paub 

Pleasurable  Poultry- Keeping.  Brown.  4 

Poultry  Fattening.      Brown  .     .     .'   .  4 
Poultry- Keeping  as  an  Industry,  etc. 

Brown 4 

Psychology  for  Te.ichers.     Morgan  .  12 
Riding  RecollectionsaiulTurf  Stories. 

Cusiance 5 

Robert  Louis  Stevenson,     Raleigh    .  13 

Select  Essays  of  Sainle-lieuve.   Butler  14 

.Soldiering and  .Surveying.  MacDonald  10 
Studies  in  Early  Victorian  Literature. 

Harrison 7 

Swallowed  by  an  Eartluiuake.     Faw- 

cett .•     •     •  6 

That  Fiddler  Fellow.     Hutchinson    .  8 
I'lie  Adventures  of  My  Life.    Roche- 
fort     14 

The  Art  of  Reading  and  Speaking. 

Fleming 6 

The     Bayonet     that     came     Home. 

Williams 16 

The  Beggars  of  Paris.     ller.S(  hell      .  7 
The    British     Mission    to     Uganda. 

Portal 13 

'I'lie  Chances  of  Death.     Pearson      .  la 
The  Cruise  of  the  "Antarctic '■    Bull.  4 
The  Cultivation  and  Use  of  Imagina- 
tion,    (iiischen 7 

'I'he  Demagogue  and    Lady  Phayre. 

Locke 10 

The  Draughts  Pocket  Manual.   Cun- 
ningham         5 

The    Exploration   of    liie  Caucasus. 

Freshfield 6 

The  Land  of  the  Nile  Springs.  Colvile  5 

The  Life  of  a  Fox.     Smith  ....  11 

The  Mystery  of  the  Rue  .'■dly.    Balzac  3 

The  New  Virtue.     Berringer     ...  3 

The  Palace  on  the  Moor.     Adams     .  3 
The  I'lant-I.ore  and  (iardcn  Craft  of 

Shakespeare.     Ellacombe      ...  6 
The    Recollections  of   the   Dean    of 

Salisbnrv.     Boyle •  •  4 

The  Reef  of  GoUl.     Hervey     ...  8 

The  Secret  of  the  Desert.     Fawcett  .  6 

I'he  Snow  (Jueeii.     Andersen  ...  3 

The  Sportsman  in  Ireland     ....  11 

'I'he  Sportsman's  Library.     Maxwell,  it 

The  Springs  of  Conduct.     Morgan     .  12 

The  Siory  of  Two  Salons.     Sicliel  15 

The  Wavcrley  Novels.     Scott  ...  14 

Thirty  Strange  Stories.     Wells     .     .  !6 

Thiough  the  .Sub  Arctic  Forest.  Pike.  13 
Th    lugh  Unknown  AfricanCountries. 

S   lith ij 

Tol    's  Promise.     Hopkins  ....  8 
Tor  my  Atkins.   A  Tale  of  the  Ranks. 

Blrtchford   3 

Travels  and  .Snort,  etc.     Stone      .     .  15 

Treatment  of  Nature.     Kuhns.     .     .  9 

Wagner's  Heroes.     Maud    ....  10 

Wagner's  Heroines.      Maud      ...  10 

Waverley  Novels,  The.     Scott      .     .  14 
Wild   Flowers   in   Art    and    Nature. 

.Sparkes 15 

Wild  Norway.     Chapman     ....  4 

Winchester  College.     Marshall    .     ,  10 

With  Kelly  to  Chitral.     Beynon   .     .  3 

Worth  While.     Montrdsor   ....  11 


'  I 


s. 


•  • 


Edward  Arnold's  Publications. 


Paub 

^eepinj;.  Brown.  4 

kowii  ,     .     .'  .  4 
n  Industry,  etc. 

4 

ers.     Morgan  .  12 
intl'l'iirf  Stories. 

on.     Kaleigli    .  13 

;-IJeiive.   lUitler  14 

iiig.  Macl)(inalcl  10 
irian  Literature. 

tliciuake.     Faw- 

......  6 

Hutcliinson    .  8 
y  Life.    Koche- 

14 

and  Speaking. 

6 

came      Home. 

16 

llers<l)ull      .  7 
11    to     Uganda. 

13 

I1.      Pearson      .  12 

iitarclic  ''    Kull.  4 
j'se  of  Iniagina- 

Lady  Pliayre. 

10 

^L1nual.   Cun- 

S 

the  Caucasus. 

6 

prings.  Colvile  5 

niitli  ....  II 

■oly.    lialzac  3 

rrniger    ...  3 

)or.     Adams     .  3 
iardcn  Craft  of 

ombe      ...  6 
llie   Dean    of 

•  •  4 

ervey      ...  8 

ert.     Fawcett  .  6 

iidersen  ...  3 

and    ....  II 

iry.     INLixwell.  11 

:t.     Morgan    .  12 

ins.     Sitliel  15 

Scott  ...  14 

Wells     .     .  16 

c  Forest.  Pike.  13 
ican  Countries. 

,. "S 

)Knis  ....  8 

e  of  the  Ranks. 

3 

Stone      .     .  ij 

Kulni^.     .     .  9 

lud    ....  10 

^L'lud      ...  10 

Scott      .     .  14 

and    Nature. 

«S 

lan     ....  4 

Marshall    .     .  10 

Beynon   .     .  3 

isor    ....  II 


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ALLEN.     Papier  Mach6.     A  Novel.     By  Charles 

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BALZAC.  The  Mystery  of  the  Rue  Soly.  Trans- 
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CHOLMONDELEY.  A  Devot.  ;.  An  Episode  in 
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COLLINS.     A  Treasury  of  Minor  British  Poetry. 

Chosen  from  the  minor  and  less  familiar  English  poets. 
By  J.   CnuRtoN   Collins,  M.A.     t  vol.     Crown  8vo. 

The  compiler  deserves  the  thanks  of  all  true  lovers  of  jxietry 
for  his  efforts  to  rescue  from  oblivion  many  cxtpiisile  lyrics  un- 
known and  inaccessible  to  the  general  rcailer. —  Kocliester  rost 
Express. 

COLVILE.  The  Land  of  the  Nile-Springs.  By 
Colonel  Sir  HEr-RV  Colvilk,  K.C.M.G.,  C.H.,  recently 
British  Comnii.ssioner  in  Uganda.  With  photogravv«»"e 
frontispiece,  sixteen  full-page  illustrations,  and  two  maps. 
Svo.      $3.50. 

COMPTON.  Her  Own  Devices.  By  C.  G.  Comp- 
TON.     i2mo.  cloth,  gilt  top.     $1.00. 

A  choice  story,  and  challenges  the  wide  attention  of  readers 
of  fiction.  —  Boston  Courier. 

CRANE.  George's  Mother.  A  Novel.  By  Stephen 
Crane.     Large  i6mo,  192  pp.,  cloth.     75  cents. 

CUNNINGHAM.     The  Draughts  Pocket  Manual. 

By  J.  G.  CuNNiNGHA.\L  An  Introduction  to  the  Game 
in  all  its  Branches.  i6mo.  Willi  numerous  diagrams. 
60  cents. 

CUSTANCE.  Riding  Recollections  and  Turf 
Stories.  By  Kknrv  Cuspaxck,  three  times  winner  of 
the  Derby.     121110,  cloth.     75  cents. 

DUNMORE.  Ormisdal.  A  Novel.  By  the  Earl  of 
DuNMORE,  F.RG.S.,  author  of  "The  Pamirs."  i2mo, 
cloth.     $(.50. 

ELLACOMBE.      In   a    Gloucestershire    Garden. 

By  the  Rev.  H.  N.  Ei.r.AcoMRE,  Vicar  of  Bitton,  and 
Honorary  Canon  of  Bristol,  author  of  "  Plant-Lore  and 
Garden  Craft  of  Siiakespcare."  New  FMition,  with 
numerous  illustrations.     i2mo,  cloth.     $1.75. 

.5 


n  :    i 


I  1 


ELLACOMBE.  The  Plant-Lore  and  Garden 
Craft  of  Shakespeare.  Hy  IIknkv  N.  ICli-acombe, 
M.A.,  Vicar  of  Britton,  ;tutlujr  of  "  In  a  (Jloiicestt-rshirc 
Garden."      Fully  illiistiaicd   by   Major   I).   H.   Rickctts. 

1  vol.     Large  crown  8vo.     i>3.5o. 

It  is  a  (lcli}{htful  Ijook,  full  of  ^rucu  and  anifiiity,  and  cuuld 
have  conic  only  from  an  luiglisii  vie  arage,  wiicro  tiiu  utiillu  arls 
of  leisurely  .sdiolarsliip  l:avc  so  (jftcn  hornu  excellent  fruit  in 
literature.  —  /'/ii/,i(/i//</i/(i  Ledf^tf. 

The  hook  is  original  .  .  .  unci  of  a  (juitc  unique  interest.— 
CliUitv;o  7'ii)iix-J/ir(i/t/. 

FAWCETT.     The  Secret  of  the  Desert.     By  K. 

I).  Fawckit.  With  numerous  full-page  illustrations. 
i2mo,  cloth.     $i.oo. 

A  thrilling  book  of  adventure  for  boys. 

FAWCETT.     Swallowed  by  an  Earthquake.     By 

E.  1).  Fawckit,  author  of  "  llartmann  the  Anarchist," 
etc.  Illustrated,  isnio.  $1.00. 
FIELD.  Master  Magnus.  By  Mrs.  E.  M.  Field, 
author  of  *'  Ethnc;,"  "  Little  Coinit  Paul,"  "  Mixed 
Pickles,"  etc.  With  four  full-page  illustrations.  Small 
8vo.     $r.oo. 

A  (|uaint  story  of  a  quaint  little  fellow. 

FLEMING.     The  Art  of  Reading  and  Speaking. 

By  the  Rev.  Jamks  Flkmino,  Canon  of  York  and  Rector 
of  St.  Michael's,  Chester  Square.  256  pp.,  i2mo,  cloth. 
$1.00. 

Canon  Fleming  has  written  a  book  on  "  The  Art  of  Reading 
and  Speaking"  that  is  worth  its  weight  in  gold  to  any  one  who 
is  ambitious  to  attain  to  a  high  degree  of  excellence  as  a  public 
speaker  or  reader.  .  .  .  We  have  never  seen  a  book  that  treats 
the  sul)ject  of  good  speaking  and  reading  in  so  thoroughly  prac- 
tical and  comprehensive  a  manner  as  does  this  one.  —  Boston 
Home  Journal. 

FORD.  On  the  Threshold.  By  Isabella  O.  Ford, 
author  of  "Miss  Blake  of  Monkshalton."  i2mo,  cloth. 
$1.00. 

FRESHFIELD.  The  Exploration  of  the  Cau- 
casus. By  Douglas  W.  Fresh  field,  F.R.G.S.,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Alpine  Club,  author  of  "  Travels  in  the 
Central  Caucasus,"  "The  Italian  Alps,"  etc.  Illustrated 
by  over  seventy  full-page  photogravures  and  several 
mountain  panorarnas,  chiefly  from  photograi)hs  by  Signor 
Vittorio  Sella,  and  executed  under  his  immediate  super- 
intendence, and  by  more  than  one  hundred  illustrations 
in  the  text,  of  the  scenery,  people,  and  buildings  of  the 
moimtain  region,  from  photographs  by  Signor  Sella,  M.  de 
D^chy,  Mr.  H.  WooUey,  and  the  late  Mr.  W.  F.  Donkin. 

2  vols.     Imperial  8vo.     $20.00. 

His  two  splendid  volumes  will  be  the  authority  upon  the 
Caucasus  for  years  to  come.  —  The  Pall  Mall  Gazette. 

GAUNT.  Dave's  Sweetheart.  An  Australian  novel 
By  Mary  Gaunt.    8vo,  cloth.     $1.00. 

6 


GORDON.  Persia  Revisited  (1895).  Uy  Gcnerat 
Sir  T.  i:.  GoRDONf,  K.C.I.K.,  C.H.  C.S.I. ,  formerly  mill- 
tary  .'\Uach«i  ami  Oriental  Scirclary  to  llcr  Majesty's 
Legation  at  'i'ehran,  author  of  "  The  Roof  of  the  World." 
Witli  map  and  illustrations.     Cloth,  8vo.     ;ft3.oo. 

GOSCHEN.  The  Cultivation  and  Use  of  Imagi- 
nation. My  the  Rt.  Hon.  CKou(iK  Joachim  Goschen. 
I  2mo.  cloth.     75  cents. 

GREAT  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS.  Eton,  Harrow,  Win- 
chester, Rugby,  Westminster,  Marlborough,  Cheltenham, 
Hailcyl)ury,  Clifton,  Charterhouse.  With  nearly  a  hun- 
dred illustrations  by  the  best  artists,  i  vol.  8vo,  hand- 
somely bound.     5i-oo. 

HALL.  Fish-Tails  —  and  Some  True  Ones.  By 
liuAUNocK  Hai.i,.  With  etched  frontispiece  by  the  author 
and  twelve  full-page  illustrations.  Handsomely  bound. 
Anti(iue   i)aper,   deckle   edges,   gilt  top,  crown  octavo. 

#1.75- 
HAMILTON.      Across    an   Ulster    Bog.      Uy  M. 

Hamilton,   author      f    "A    Self-Denying   Ordinance." 
1 2mo,  cloth,  gilt  top.     ;^i.oo. 

Truest  to  nature  of  the  many  we  have  read  of  late  years.  — 

Clever  and  well  written.  —  .\'<Tf  Vori'  Ilcnild. 

One  of  the  notable  stories  of  the  lime.  —  Cleveland  World. 

HARRISON.      Early    Victorian    Literature.      By 

Frederic   Harrison.      i2mo,   cloth,   gilt   top,   deckle 

edges.     $1.50. 

"Early  Victori.in  Literature"  includes  the  series  of  essays 
which  recently  appeared  in  the  "  Korum,"  and  contains  critical 
papers  on  Thomas  Carlyle,  l.ord  Macaulay,  Henjamin  Disraeli, 
William  Makepeace  Thackeray,  Charles  Dickens,  Charlotte 
Bronte,  Charles  Kingsley,  Anthony  TroUope,  and  Cleorge  Eliot, 
besid(.s  one  on  the  characteristics  of  Victorian  literature. 

The  threefold  function  of  convincing,  stimuhiting,  and  plensing 
is  performed  with  no  common  skill  and  efficiency  in  this  book. — 
New  York  Sun. 

An  important  and  even  memorable  contribution  to  modern 
critical  literature.  —  Satiirdav  Rez<iew. 

HARTSHORNE.  Old  English  Glasses.  An  ac- 
count of  glass  drinking-vessels  in  England  from  early 
times  to  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century,  with  notices 
of  continental  glasses  during  the  same  jieriod.  By 
Albert  Hartshorne,  Fellow  of  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries. With  nearly  seventy  full-page  lithographic  plates 
and  over  four  hundred  smaller  illustrations.  This  mag- 
nificent and  unique  work  is  dedicated  by  special  per- 
mission to  Her  Majesty  the  Queen.  A  full  prospectus 
can  be  had  on  application.     Super  royal  4to.     $20.00. 

HERSCHELL.  The  Beggars  of  Paris  {Paris  qui 
mendie).  Translated  from  the  French  of  M.  Louis 
Paulian  by  Lady  Herschell.  Crown  octavo,  paper 
boards.     60  cents. 

7  ■ 


HERVEY.  Eric  the  Archer.  A  boy's  book  of  ad- 
venture. By  Mauricr  H.  Hervey,  author  of  "'i'he 
Reef  of  Gold,"  etc.  With  numerous  full-page  illustra- 
tions, handsomely  bound  in  cloth.     i2mo.     $1.50. 

HERVEY.  The  Reef  of  Gold.  By  Maurice  H. 
Hervey.  With  numerous  full-page  illustrations,  hand- 
somely bound,  gilt  edges.     $1.25. 

HOLE.  A  Little  Tour  in  America.  By  the  Very 
Rev.  S.  Reynolds  Hole,  Dean  of  Rochester.  Author 
of  "  A  Little  Tour  in  Ireland,"  "  The  Memories  of  Dean 
Hole,"  "  A  Book  about  Roses,"  etc.  With  numerous 
illustrations.  i2mo,  cloth.  $1.75.  English  Edition. 
(Illustrated,  8vo.)     $4.00. 

Tlinl  I'lie  Dean's  book  will  be  widely  read  goes  without  saying, 
and  it  will  repay  reading.  —  The  Dial. 

This    more    than    friendly,   keenly   apjireciative,   simple,   an 
whole-hearted  book  commands  for  itself  a  double  welcome. — 
PhiUidolphiii  Piess. 

More  fascinating  reading  is  seldom  found.  —  Brooklyn  Citizen. 

HOLE.  A  Book  about  the  Garden  and  the  Gar- 
dener. By  The  Very  Rev.  S.  Reynolds  Hole,  Dean 
of  Rochester.     Second  Edition,  i2mo.     ^1.50. 

HOLE.  A  Book  about  Roses.  By  The  Very  Rev. 
S.  Reynolds  Hole,  Dean  of  Rochester.  Twentieth 
thousand.  r2mo,  cloth,  gilt  top.  $1.25.  Also  an  edi- 
tion with  colored  plates.     $2.50. 

HOLE.  A  Little  Tour  in  Ireland.  By  "Oxonian" 
(Dean  Hole).  Illustrated  by  the  late  John  Leech.  New 
and  cheaper  ediiion.     IS1.50. 

It  was  a  hapoy  thought  which  brought  forth  a  new  edition  of 
this  merry  book.  The  combinaiion  of  Hole  and  Leech  is  irre- 
sistible, and  we  commend  their  reappearance  to  all  who  love 
wholesome,  cleanly  fun.  —  Pliiliulclpliia  Led^i-'r. 

It  does  not  appear  how  a  record  of  travel  can  be  made  more 
entertaining,  though  one  might,  of  course,  be  more  serious. — 
Boston  Ihrahl. 

One  of  the  most  delightfully  spirited  and  witty  books  ever 
written.  —  C'/iicai^o  Tribune. 

HOLT.  Fancy  Dresses  Described.  By  Ardern 
Holt.  An  Alphabetical  Dictionary  of  Fancy  Costumes. 
With  full  accounts  of  the  dresses.  About  sixty  illustra- 
tions by  Lillian  Young,  many  o*"  them  colored,  i  vol. 
Demy  8vo.     $3.00. 

HOPKINSON.  Toby's  Promise.  A  New  Volume 
of  the  Children's  Favorite  Series.  By  A.  M.  Hopkinson. 
Square  8vo,  cloth,     ^i-oo. 

HUTCHINSON.  That  Fiddler  Fellow.  A  Tale 
of  St.  Andrews.  By  Horace  G.  Hutchinson,  author  of 
"  My  Wife's  Politics,"  *'  Golf,"  "  Creatures  of  Circum- 
stance," etc.     I -mo,  cloth.     75  cents. 

8 


without  saying, 


'itty  books  ever 


KENNEY-HERBERT.  Fifty  Breakfasts.  Cori- 
taining  a  great  variety  of  new  and  simple  recipes  for 
breakfast  dishes.  Uy  Col.  KiiNNLV- Herbert  (VVyvern). 
i2nio.     75  cents. 

KENNEY-HERBERT.  Fifty  Lunches.  By  Col. 
A.  Krnney-Herbert,  author  of  "  Common-Sense  Cook- 
ery," "  Fifty  Breakfasts,"  etc.     121110,  cloth.     75  cents. 

KENNEY-HERBERT.  Fifty  Dinners.  By  Col. 
A.  Kexnf.y- Herbert,  author  of  "  Common-Sense  Cook- 
ery," "  Fifty  Breakfasts,"  etc.     121110,  cloth.     75  cents. 

KENNEY-HERBERT.  Common-Sense  Cookery. 
Based  on  Modern  English  and  Continental  Principles. 
Worked  out  in  detail  by  Col.  A.  Kenney-Herccrt 
(Wyvern).     Large  121110,  over  500  pp.     $2.00. 

A  book  wiiicii  is  sure  to  huve  a  huge  circulation,  since  the 
author,  the  well-known  "  Wyvern,"  ha-;  been  for  somj  time  gen- 
erally accepted  as  perhaps  the  chief  English  authority  on  the  art 
of  cookery.  —  Times. 

KNIGHT-BRUCE.  Memories  of  Mashonaland. 
By  the  Right  Rev.  Hisiiop  Knight-Bruce,  formerly 
Bishop  of  Mashonaland.  With  photogravure  frontispiece. 
Cloth,  8vo.     $2.50. 

KUHNS.  Treatment  of  Nature  in  Dante's  "  Di- 
vina  Commedia."  By  L.  Oscar  Kuhns,  M.A.,  pro- 
fessor of  Romance  Languages  at  Wesleyan  University. 
1 2  mo,  cloth.     $1.50. 

CU.NTK.N  TS. 

Chapter  i.  Dante's  Conception  of  Nature;  2.  Dante's  Conven- 
tional Treatment  of  Nature;  3.  The  Different  Aspects  of  Nature 
as  seen  in  the  "  Inferno,"  tiie  "  l'ini;at:)ri;),"an(I  the  "  Paradiso"; 
4.  Italy  in  the  "  Divina  ComnKclia";  5.  The  Physical  Geography 
of  the  "  Divina  Commedia  "  ;  6.  Aimo  spheric  Phenomena ;  7.  The 
Flora  of  the  "  Divina  Commedia";  iS.  The  Fauna  of  the  "  Divina 
Commedia";  g.  The  Heavenly  15odies ;  10.  Light,  Fire,  and 
Color;  It.  General  Discussion  of  Dante's  Attitude  toward 
Nature. 

In  this  book  an  attemjjt  has  been  made  to  give  a  complete  pic- 
ture of  all  the  ph.ases  of  animate  and  inanimate  NaUire  of  which 
DaiUe  has  niaJe  use  in  his  great  poem.  The  facts  are  not  merely 
grouped  together  in  taIniU>tetl  form  for  the  use  of  the  special 
Dante  student  only,  but  are  so  arranged  as  to  be  of  interest  to 
tlie  student  of  general  literature. 

LANG.     Lamb's  Adventures  of  Ulysses.     With  an 

Introduction   by  Andrew   Lang.      Square  8vo,   cloth. 

50  cents.     Also  the  Priz:<,'  Edition,  gilt  edges.     60  cents. 
LEGH.      How  Dick  and  Molly  went  Round  the 

World.     By  M.  H.  Cornwall  Legh.     With  numerous 

illustrations.     Fcap.  4to,  cloth.     $1.50. 

Perhaps  the  best  of  ail  the  children's  books  of  the  season. — 

London  IVoihL 

LEGH.     How  Dick  and  Molly  saw  England.     By 

M.  H.  Cornwall  Lixni,  author  of  "  How  Dick  and 
Molly  went  Round  the  W^orld."  Finely  illustrated. 
Fcap.  4to,  cloth.     $1.^0. 

9 


il    i 


LEGH.  My  Dog  Plato.  A  volume  of  the  Children's 
Favorite  Series.  By  M.  H.  Cornwall  Legh.  With 
four  full-page  illustrations.     Small  8vo.     $i.oo. 

LOCKE.  The  Demagogue  and  Lady  Phayre.  By 
William  J.  Locke.     i2mo,  cloth.    $1.00. 

A  strong  and  powerful  story,  and  deserving  of  a  conspicuous 
place  in  the  fiction  of  to-day.  —  A'l-w  York  Ttmes. 

MACDONALD.  Soldiering  and  Surveying  in 
British  East  Africa,  1891-1894.  An  Account  of 
the  Survey  for  the  Uganda  Railway,  and  the  various 
Campaigns  in  the  British  Protectorate  during  the  last 
few  years.  By  Major  J.  R.  MacDonald,  R.E.  Illus- 
trated from  sketches  and  photographs  by  the  author,  and 
numerous  plans  and  a  map.    Cloth,  8vo.     JS>5.oo. 

An  admirable  work,  and  one  which  all  students  of  African  his- 
tory should  read.  The  events  recorded  are  of  exceptional  inter- 
est, and  we  are  glad  to  obtain  an  authentic  and  graphic  account 
of  them  from  such  a  well-qualified  historian.  —  New  York  Herald. 

M ACNAB.  On  Veldt  and  Farm :  In  Cape  Colony, 
Bechuanaland.  Natal,  and  the  Transvaal.  By  Francks 
Macnab.     With  map.     Crown,  8vo,  300  pages.    $1.50. 

The  style  is  virile,  the  views  are  comprehensive.  The  volume 
is  of  unusual  interest.  —  Chicago  Tribune. 

McNlJLTY.  Misther  O'Ryan.  An  Incident  in  the 
History  of  a  Nation.  By  Edward  McNulty.  i2mo, 
attractively  bound.     $1.00. 

This  is  one  of  the  best  Irish  stories  we  have  read.  .  .  .  The 
story  excites  an  interest  from  the  outset  that  is  sustained  until 
the  climax  is  reached.  —  Brooklyn  Citizen. 

MARSHALL.      Winchester    College,    1393-1893. 

Illustrated  by  Herbert  Marshall.  With  contributions 
in  prose  and  verse  by  Old  Wykehamists.  Demy  4to, 
cloth.  $4.00.  A  few  copies  of  the  first  edition,  limited 
to  one  thousand  copies,  are  still  to  be  had. 

MAUD.  Wagner's  Heroes.  Tannhauser,  Parsifal, 
Hans  Sachs,  Lohengrin.  By  Constance  Maud.  Illus- 
trated by  Granville  Fell.  i2mo,  handsoniely  bound  in 
cloth.     $1.25. 

MAUD.  Wagner's  Heroines.  By  Constance  Maud, 
author  of  "  Wagner's  Heroes."  With  illustrations.  1  vol, 
i2mo.    $1.25. 

These  are  just  simple  tales  about  men  and  women  who  once 
really  lived  on  the  earth,  and  about  whom  the  greatest  of  poet- 
musicians  \yrote  in  that  wonderful  music  language  of  his  which 
speaks  straight  to  the  heart.  .\nd  in  this  language  he  told  us 
many  things  about  Parsifal,  I  ohengrin,  Tannhauser,  and  dear  old 
Hans  Sachs,  which  cannot  by  any  human  power  be  put  into 
words;  but  in  so  far  as  he  did  make  use  of  words  to  explain  his 
marvellous  music  I  have  tried  to  use  the  same,  and  above  all 
never  to  depart  from  his  idea  of  the  heroes  he  loved.  —  From  the 
Preface. 

Miss  Maud  has  done  for  the  Shakespeare  of  music  what  Charles 
Lamb  once  did  for  the  real  Shakespeare.  —  Daily  Telegraph. 

Sure  to  delight  intelligent  children.  —  Nexv  York  Times. 

10 


MAXWELL.     Memories  of  the  Months.     By  Sir 

HtRiiERT  MAXWiii.L,  Hart.,  M.P.,  editor  of  "The  Sports- 
man's Library,"  etc.  With  photogravure  illustrations. 
Crown  octavo.  5i-75' 
MAXWELL.  The  Sportsman's  Library.  Edited 
by  Sir  Herbert  Maxwell,  Bart.,  M.P.  Issued  in  two 
forms:  (i)  The  large  paper  Edition  de  Luxe,  limited  to 
two  hundred  copies,  quarto  size,  produced  in  the  finest 
style.  Price,  $10.00.  (2)  The  Library  Edition  of  octavo 
volumes,  well  printed  on  good  paper,  and  handsomely 
bound.     Price.  $4.00. 

The  following  volumes  are  now  ready  :  — 

The  Life  of  a  Fox.  By  Thomas  Smith  (Master 
of  the  Hambledon  and  Pytchley  Hounds).  With  illus- 
trations by  the  author,  and  colored  plates  and  initial  let- 
ters by  G.  H.  Jalland.  This  volume  will  contain  both  of 
Smith's  published  works — "The  Life  of  a  Fox"  and 
"  Extracts  from  the  Diary  of  a  Huntsman."  'J'he  author's 
reputation  as  a  huntsman,  as  well  as  his  gift  of  literary 
expression  and  his  skill  as  a  spirited  draughtsman,  made 
these  books  exceedingly  i)opular  in  their  day,  and  they 
have  now  become  very  rare. 

A  Sporting  Tour  through  the  Northern  Parts 
of  England  and  great  part  of  the  Highlands  of 
Scotland.  By  Colonel  T.  Thornton,  of  Thornville 
Royal,  in  Yorkshire.  With  a  selection  from  the  original 
illustrations  by  Garrard,  and  colored  plates  by  G.  E. 
Lodge.  This  work,  published  in  1804,' and  reviewed  in 
the  following  year  by  Sir  Walter  Scott  for  the  Edinburgh 
Rex'iew^  has  never  been  reprinted.  It  is  extremely  inter- 
esting, not  only  on  account  of  the  graphic  descriptions 
of  shooting,  hawking,  and  angling,  but  because  of  the 
author's  shrewd  observations  on  the  stale  of  society  and 
manners,  and  his  sympathetic  description  of  scenery. 

The  Sportsman  in  Ireland.  By  a  Cosmopolite. 
With  colored  plates  and  black  and  white  drawings  by  P. 
Chenevix  Trench,  and  reproductions  of  the  original  illus- 
trations drawn  by  R.  Allen  and  engraved  by  W.  Westall. 
A.R.A.  This  work  contains  lively  descriptions  of  travel 
in  search  of  sport,  chiefly  angling,  in  the  west  of  Ireland, 
interspersed  with  interesting  or  amusing  anecdotes  illus- 
trating the  character  of  the  people  and  the  history  of  the 
districts  visited. 

Other  volumes  are  in  preparation. 
MONTRESOR.     Worth  While.      By   F.   F.   Mon- 
TRESOR,  author  of  "The  One  Who  Looked  On,"  "Into 
the  Highways  and  Hedges,"  etc.    i6mo,  cloth.    75  cents. 

Miss  Montresor's  work  is  sincere  and  pure  in  conception,  and 
her  books  are  welcome  reading  for  young  people.  —  Pliila.  Leiiger. 

An  original  and  exquisite  story.  —  Pkiladelphia  Times. 

As  unique  as  it  is  pathetically  beautiful.  — Boston  Home  Journal. 

II 


MORGAN.  Psychology  for  Teachers.  By  Prof. 
C.  Lloyd  Morgan,  F.G.S.,  Principal  of  University  Col- 
lege, Bristol.  1 2 mo,  cloth.  $1.25. 
MORGAN.  Habit  and  Instinct.  By  Prof.  C.  Lloyd 
Morgan,  Principal  of  University  College,  Bristol,  author 
of  "  Animal  Life  and  Intelligence,"  "  Psychology  for 
Teachers,"  etc.     8vo,  cloth.     $4.00. 

Ill  the  winter  of  1895-96  Prof.  Lloyd  Morgan  delivered  the 
series  of  "  Lowell  Lecturer  "  which  form  the  basis  of  this  work. 
The  sul)ject  is  one  which  has  been  the  author's  special  study  for 
many  years,  and  in  the  present  volume  he  has  given  the  mature 
result  of  his  researches.  It  is  hopjd  that  it  will  form  a  standard 
work  for  students  and  readers  worthy  to  rank  with  the  great 
works  of  Uarwin  and  Romanes. 

For  the  clearness  with  whicn  the  results  of  scientific  research 
are  set  out  in  these  pages  there  can  be  nothing  but  praise.  — 
Loudon  Morning  Post. 

Hardly  a  page  in  the  whole  book  which  will  not  repay  careful 
perusal.  —  Pall  Mall  Gazette. 

MORGAN.     The  Springs  of  Conduct.     By  Prof  C. 

Lloyd  Morgan,  F.G.S.    Cheaper  Edition.    Large  i2mo. 

$1.00. 
MORGAN.     Animal  Sketches.     A  Popular  Book  of 

Natural  History.     By  Prof.  C  Lloyd  Morgan,  F.G.S. 

1 2  mo,  cloth.     $1.00. 
MORRISON.     Life's  Prescription.     In  seven  doses. 

By  D.  Maclaren  Morrison.     121110.     50  cents. 

Contents.  —  1.  The  Pride  of  Life;    2.  Education;    3   Man; 

4.  Woman;  5.  Marriage;  6.  Parents;  7.  Home. 
OMAN.    A  History  of  England.     By  Charles  Oman, 

Fellow  of  All  Souls'  College,  and  lecturer  '     History  at 


the 


1 2  mo, 


King- 
cloth. 


New  College,  Oxford,  author  of  "  Warwick, 
maker,"   "  A   History  of  Greece,"  etc. 
$1.50  net. 

This  is  the  nearest  approach  to  the  ideal  School  History  of 
England  which  has  yet  been  written. —  Guardian. 

OXENDEN.      Interludes  and  other  Stories.     By 

Maud  Oxenden.     i2mo,  cloth.     $1.50. 

It  is  scarcely  likely  that  either  the  book  or  the  author  will  be 
forgotten  by  any  one  who  reads  these  remarkable  stories.  —  Ne7o 
York  Journal. 

PEARSON.  The  Chances  of  Death,  and  Other 
Studies  in  Evolution.  By  Karl  Pearson,  F.R.S., 
author  of  "  The  Ethics  of  Free  Thought,"  etc.  In  two 
vols.     Demy  8vo.,  with  illustrations.     58.oo. 

CoNTKNTS  OK  VoL.  I.  —  The  Chances  of  Death;  The  Scien- 
tific Aspect  of  Monte  Carlo  Roulette ;  Reproductive  Selection  ; 
Socialism  and  Natural  Selection;  Politics  and  Science  ;  Reaction  ; 
Woman  and  Labor ;  Variation  in  Man  and  Woman. 

CoNTKNTS  OK  VoL.  II.  —  Woman  as  Witch;  Ashiepattle,  or 
Hans  seeks  his  Luck;  Kindred  Group  Marriage;  The  German 
Passion  Play;  Index. 

This  is  the  finst  substantial  work  published  by  Professor  Pear- 
son since  his  well-known  "  Ethics  of  Free  Thought "  appeared 
some  years  ago.  'I"he  volume  is  strikingly  powerful  and  original. 
It  contains  .several  scientific  papers  dealing  with  chance  in  vari- 
ous aspects  from  the  "chances  of  death  "  to  so-called  games  of 
chance,  and  points  out  how  a  mathematical  theory  corresponds 
with  actual  results.  12 


PIKE.  Through  the  Sub-Arctic  Forest.  A  Record 
of  a  Canoe  Journey  for  Four  Thousand  Miles,  from  Fort 
Wrangcl  to  the  Felly  Lukes,  aud  down  the  Yukon  to  the 
Behring  Sea.  By  Warhurton  Pile.  With  illustrations 
by  Charles  VVhymper  from  [)hotographs  taken  by  the 
author,  and  a  map.     Large  8vo.     54-oo. 

Mr.  Tike  is  a  modest,  careful,  and  interesting  writer,  a  thorough 
hunter  and  sportsman,  and  his  work  has  evtr)  evidence  bjth  of 
veracity  and  modesty.  E.xcellent  maps  add  to  the  interest  of  the 
volume,  which  is  a  worthy  addition  to  tlie  important  works  of 
travel  from  the  house  of  Sir.  Arnokl. — Staihiiird-Unioii. 

Mr.  Pike  is  easily  first  in  point  of  interest  among  the  regiment 
of  present-day  tourists  and  e.xplorers  who  set  forth  their  travels 
in  print.  He  never  poses,  never  draws  the  long  bow,  never 
attempts  to  thrill  us  or  celebrate  his  perils ;  ami,  above  all,  he 
writes  a  plain,  simple  narrative  in  exceedingly  good  English. — 
rhiladelpliia  Press. 

POLLOK.     Fifty  Years'  Reminiscences  of  India. 

By  Lieut.-Col.  \V.  Pollok,  author  of  *•  Sport  in  Burmah." 
With  sixteen  full-page  illustrations.  Demy  8vo.  $4.00. 
.  The  best  book  on  big  game  that  has  been  published  this  season. 
—  Yorkshire  Post. 

To  say  that  it  is  the  best  thing  of  the  kind  ever  published 
would  be  to  strain  the  language  of  eulogy.  But  certainly  it  is 
among  the  best,  both  in  material  and  treatment.  — London  Daily 
Telegraph. 

POPE.  The  Memoirs  of  the  Late  Sir  John  A. 
MacDonald,  G.C.B.,  First  Prime  Minister  of  Canada. 
Edited  by  Joseph  Pope,  his  private  secretary.  With 
portraits.     2  vols.     8vo.     $10.00. 

PORTAL.  My  Mission  to  Abyssinia.  By  the  late 
Sir  Gerald  H.  Portal,  C.B.  With  map  and  illustra- 
tions.    Svo.     $4.00. 

PORTAL,     The   British  Mission  to  Uganda.     By 

the  late  Sir  Gerald  Portal,  K.C.M.G.  Edited  by 
Rennell  Rodd,  C.M.G.  With  an  introduction  by  the 
Right  Honorable  Lord  Cromer,  G.C.^^G.  Illustrated 
from  photos  taken  duriiig  the  expedition  by  Colonel 
Rhodes.     Svo.     $5.00.  • 

PRESCOTT.  A  Mask  and  a  Martyr.  By  E.  Liv- 
ingston Prescott,  author  of  "The  Apotheosis  of  Mr. 
Tyrawley."     12  mo.     5 1-50. 

The  author  gives  u>  a  fine  story,  in  the  best  sense,  which  will 
command  a  wide  reading  and  provoke  uniform  delight.  The 
page,  type,  and  general  creation  of  the  book  in  the  mechanical 
sense  leave  nothing  to  be  desired.  —  Boston  Courier. 

RALEIGH.  Robert  Louis  Stevenson.  By  Walter 
Raleigh,  Professor  of  English  Literature  at  Liverpool 
University  College,  author  of  "The  English  Novel," 
etc.     Second  edition.     i2mo,  cloth.     $1.00. 

Professor  Raleigh  has  contriliuted  an  appreciative  critical 
essav  to  the  rapidly  growing  list  of  Stevensoniana.  —  Critic. 

Quite  the  best  contribution  that  hns  yet  been  made  to  our 
critical  literature  in  regard  to  the  late  Mr.  Stevenson.  —  Glassforv 
Herald. 

13 


ROCHEFORT.    The  Adventures  of  My  Life.    By 

Henri  RocHEhORT.  Revised  ami  specially  arranged  by 
the  author.  The  only  audiori/ed  etliiion  in  English. 
2  vols.     Large  crown  8vo.     $7.50. 

A  remarkal)le  book  by  one  of  the  most  remarkable  men  of  our 
age.  —  Buffalo  £x/>ress. 
_  These  volumes  are  intensely  IntL-iesting.  They  are  the  remi- 
niscences of  an  e.vtraordinary  man  who  has  crowded  into  his  life 
an  extraordinary  number  of  e.xciiing  incidents.  Kochefort,  as  a 
writer,  is  never  dull,  never  other  than  entertaining.  The  reader 
never  loses  sight  of  the  fact  that  the  author  is  a  brilliant  man.  — 
Philadflpliia  I'rcss. 

No  wonder  this  book  has  created  a  sensation  in  Taris.  The 
book  is  full  of  history,  for  Rochefort  is  history  —  67//tv;^<)  Times- 
Herald. 

Kochefort  has  written  a  lif  ,  as  vivid  as  Pliny  the  younger,  as 
engaging  and  instructive  as  ne  great  Plutarch  himself.  —  London 
Daily  Telegraph. 

SAINTE-BEUVE.  Select  Essays  of  Sainte- 
Beuve.  Chiefly  bearing  on  English  Literature.  Trans- 
lated by  A.  J.  Butler,  translator  of  "The  Memoirs  of 
Baron  Marbot."     i  vol.     8vo,  cloth.     $1.50. 

English  readers  should  not  fail  to  make  themselves  acquainted 
with  the  work  of  one  of  the  clearest,  most  broadly  tolerant,  and 
sanest  critics  of  their  literature  that  France  has  produced.— 
Daily  Telegraph. 

SCOTT.  The  Waverley  Novels.  Facsimile  Reprint 
of  the  Favorite  Edition  of  Sir  Walter  Scott.  Small  i2mo, 
cloth,  paper  label,  75  cents  ;  set  in  boxes,  $36.00.  Cloth, 
gilt.  90  cents ;  set  in  boxes,  $43.00.  Half  Roxburgh, 
gilt  top,  $1.25  ;  set  in  boxes,  $60.00. 

No  series  of  fiction  has  ever  met  with  such  universal  accept- 
ance as  the  48-volume  edition  of  the  Waverley  Novels,  the  favorite 
edition  of  Sir  Waiter  Scott,  originally  published  by  Cadell  & 
Company  in  the  year  1829.  Its  handy  size  and  elegant  propor- 
tions have  never  been  surpassed.  It  has  long  been  out  of  print, 
and  when  copies  come  into  the  market  they  fetch  a  high  price. 

In  projecting  a  new  edition  of  the  Waverly  Novels,  the  pub- 
lisher has  felt  that  he  could  not  follow  a  better  model  than  that 
which  has  so  long  stood  the  test  of  public  favor ;  and  he  has 
therefore  determined  to  present  a  new  edition  which  is  practically 
a  facsimile  of  the  illustrious  author's  favorite,  and  which  con- 
tains all  his  notes  and  introductions. 

This  edition  is  thus  a  reprint  of  the  1829  edition,  the  type 
being  practically  the  same,  line  for  line,  and  page  for  page ;  the 
size,  small  octavo;  the  binding,  the  well-known  deep  red,  with 
paper  back  titles.  ,     ,       ,         .        r 

One  change  only  the  publisher  has  made,  for  the  sake  of  con- 
venience. In  the  original  edition  several  of  the  novels  were  so 
intermingled  in  the  volumes  as  to  run  into  each  other;  but  this 
is  avoided  in  the  present  reprint.  Each  novel  is  complete  in  its 
own  volumes,  which  in  one  case  will  occupy  three  volumes,  in 
most  cases  two  volumes,  and  in  several  cases  one  volume  only. 

The  edition  is  printed  on  beautiful  light  paper. 

SHERARD.  Alphonse  Daudet.  A  Biography  and 
Critical  Study.  By  R.  H.  Sherard,  editor  of  "The 
Memoirs  of  Baron  Meneval,"  etc.  With  illustrations. 
8vo,  cloth,    tyoo. 

14 


SICHEL.  The  Story  of  Two  Salons.  Madame  de 
Beaumont  and  the  Suards.  By  Ediih  Sichkl,  author 
of  "  VVorthington,  Jr."  With  portraits  of  Joubert,  Pau- 
line de  Beaumont,  and  Chateaubriand.     8vo.    ;^2.oo. 

There  is  really  not  a  page  iu  the  hook  that  ought  not  to  be 
read.  —  S/>ec/(i/or. 

A  fascinating  study  of  Madame  de  Beaumont  and  the  Suards. 
Glijsi^inv  Uemld. 

SLATIN.  Fire  and  Sword  in  the  Sudan.  A  Per- 
sonal Narrative  of  Fighting  and  Serving  the  Dervishes, 
1879-1895.  By  Slatin  Pasha,  formerly  Governor  of 
Darfur.  Translated  and  edited  by  Major  F.  R.  VVingate, 
R.A.,  author  of  "  The  Egyptian  Sudan,"'  etc.  Fully  illus- 
trated by  R.  Talbot  Kelly.  8vo.  $5.00.  Eighth  edi- 
tion now  ready. 

SMITH.     Through  Unknown  African  Countries. 

The  First  Expedition  from  Somaliland  to  Lake  Rudolf 
and  Lamu.  A  Narrative  of  Scientific  Exploration  and 
Sporting  Adventures.  By  A.  Donaldson  Smith,  F.R  G.S. 
With  nearly  thirty  full-page  plates,  drawn  from  tiie  author's 
sketches  and  photographs  by  Charles  Whymper  and  A. 
D.  McCormick,  and  a  large  number  of  smaller  illustra- 
tions. There  is  also  an  original  map  of  the  countries 
traversed,  prepared  from  the  author's  survey  by  the 
Royal  Geographical  Society  of  England,  i  vol.  8vo. 
$5.00. 

A  remarkable  record  of  successful  human  effort  against  great 
od  ;ls.  —  Chicago  Journal. 

An  important  work,  of  rare  literary  and  scientific  interest.  — 
Boston  Advertiser. 

A  most  important  as  well  as  original  contribution  to  the  litera- 
ture of  African  discovery.  —  London  Daily  News. 

For  sustained  and  thrilling  interest  the  book  surpasses  any  of 
Stanley's  volumes.  —  Chicago  Tribune. 

Worthy  to  rank  with  the  achievements  which  have  made  the 
name  of  Stanley  famed  the  world  over.  —  Brooklyn  Standard- 
Union. 

SPARKES.  Wild  Flowers  in  Art  and  Nature. 
By  J.  C.  L.  Sparkes,  Principal  of  the  National  Art  Train-" 
ing  School,  South  Kensington,  and  F.  W.  Burbidge, 
Curator  of  the  University  Botanical  Gardens,  Dublin. 
With  twenty-one  full-page  colored  plates,  by  H.  G.  Moon. 
Royal  4to,  handsomely  bound,  gilt  edges.     $4.00. 

SPINNER.  A  Reluctant  Evangelist,  and  other 
Stories.  By  Alice  Spinner,  author  of  "A  Study  in 
Color,"  "  Lucilla,"  etc.     i2mo,  cloth.     $1.50. 

A  pleasant  group  of  stories  of  the  old-fashioned  type.  —  PhiUi' 
delphia  Ledger. 

The  Sportsman's  Library.     (See  under  Maxwell.) 

STONE.  Travels  and  Sport  in  and  Beyond  the 
Himalayas.  By  S.  J.  Stone,  Inspector-General  of 
Police  in  the  Northwest  Provinces.    With  sixteen  full- 

15 


1  vol.     Demy, 


page  illustrations  by  Charles  Whymper. 
8vo.     #4.00. 

A  book  whicli  covers  a  great  deal  more  ground  than  most 
books  of  its  kind,  and  goes  into  all  tlic  detail  which  practical 
sportsmen  desire  to  find  in  them,  and  sometimes  fail  to  find.  .  .  . 
It  should  form  part  of  the  ccjuipment  of  every  sportsman. — 
Yoiksltire  Post. 

It  is  a  long  time  since  we  have  read  a  book  on  sport  in  India, 
or  anywhere  el.se,  that  has  given  us  more  pleasure  than  Mr. 
Stone  s.  —  Land  ami  IP'a/i.r. 

STRANG.  Parauise  Lost.  By  John  Milton.  A 
Series  of  'i'welve  Illustrations  Designed  and  Etched  by 
William  Strang,  R.P.E.  In  one  v  >lume,  4to,  bound 
in  cloth,  with  proofs  of  the  etchings  speciaii  •  printed  by 
F.  Goulding  on  old  French  I^.and-inade  p^iper,  and 
mounted.  Fifty  copies  only  printed  for  America,  each 
copy  numbered.     IVice,  $20.00. 

TOLLEMACHE.  Benjamin  Jowett,  Master  of 
Balliol.  A  Personal  M'^moir.  15y  the  Hon.  Lionkl 
ToLLEMACHK,  author  of  Safe  Studies,"  etc.  i2mo, 
buckram.     $1.00. 

Gives  the  reader  a  better  idea  of  Jowett  than  anything  that 
has  hitherto  been  written  about  him  by  his  friends.  —  Atheiucum. 

A  very  remarkable  success. — St.  James  (iazefte. 

Readers  of  this  stimulating  and  uncommon  volume  will  rarely 
find  a  page  that  does  not  carry  something  of  intellectual  tonic. 
—  Ijtcrary  World. 

UPWARD.  One  of  God's  Dilemmas.  A  Novel.  By 
Allen  Upward.     121110,  cloth.     $1.00. 

A  tale  that  cannot  fail  to  interest.  —  Troy  Times. 

Certain  to  appeal  to  seriously  minded  and  refined  American 
boys  and  girls. — A^etv  York  Commercial  Advertiser. 

A  story  of  commanding  interest.  The  narrative  is  a  very  true 
one,  indeed,  —  serious,  romantic,  full  of  feeling.  —  Jiostoii  Courier. 

WELLS.  Thirty  Strange  Stories.  By  H.  G.  Wells, 
ai'.thor  of  "The  Time  Machine,"  "The  Wheels  of 
Chance,"  "The  Wonderful  Visit,"  etc.  Cloth,  i2mo, 
500  pp.     $1.50. 

WHITE.      Pleasurable   Bee-Keeping.      By  C.   N. 
White.    Fully  illustrated,    i  vol.    i2mo,  cloth.    60  cents. 
A  complete  guide  for  the  amateur  bee-keeper,  as  clear  and 
concise  as  such  a  guide  can  be  made.  —  Glasj^mu  Herald. 

WILLIAMS,  The  Bayonet  that  Came  Home. 
A   Novel.     By   Neil  Wvnn  Williams.     121110,    cloth. 

$1.00. 

A  clever  and  most  interesting  story.  —  Brooklyn  Standard- 
Union, 


16 


I.     Demy, 

than  most 
:h  practical 
()  find.  .  .  . 
ortsnum.  — 

rt  in  India, 
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ILTON.      A 

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'"Jovel.  By 


:1  American 

a  very  true 
/o/i  Courier. 

J.  Wells, 
Vlieels  of 
th,  1 2  mo, 

5y  C.  N. 
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clear  and 

Home. 

lo,    cloth. 


Standard- 


